Page 109 of Repairing the Wreckage

I press the lid on my coffee tight and turn toward the exit. The girl behind the counter shoots a glare at me but I ignore her. Griff hurries to open the door for me and stays close all the way up the stairs. Like he’s worried I’ll change my mind. Or sprint away from him.

Outside, he adjusts his ball cap lower and hikes my backpack higher on his shoulder.

“Your face looks better,” I say, resisting the urge to touch his cheek. “Is your shoulder okay?”

He pops the opposite shoulder forward then back quickly. “This is the one I fucked up in the last match.”

“Griff,” I sigh, hating that he’s been hurt at all. “Let me take my coat. You don’t need to carry all that for me.”

“Don’t you have to get to class soon?” he asks.

Split a muffin with Griff, and I forget everything else. I yank my phone out and check the time. “I still have a few minutes. Come on.”

He walks on my left and slightly behind me. Like my own personal bodyguard. At my dorm door, I swipe my card against the reader and hold it open for him.

“Am I allowed in here?” he asks, following me inside.

“We can have guests. Just not overnight.” Not that the policy seems to stop anyone from having their boyfriends stay every weekend.

“Is it safe?” He glances at the door. “Are you safe here?”

Is anywhere really safe? “I think so.”

I take the stairs quickly. But when I reach the first landing, I realize Griff hasn’t even cleared half the steps yet. He seems to be favoring one knee and gripping the handrail hard.

“Are you okay?”

His pained eyes meet mine. Then his jaw tightens, and he nods quickly. “I’m fine. Go ahead.”

“Men,” I grumble. “You can’t just admit something’s bothering you?”

“Yes, my knee hurts.” He groans. “I think I overdid it with the yardwork this weekend. But it’s still better than it was when I first came home, so keep going.”

Wow, never expected him to share that much.

Guilt slows my steps knowing that he’s possibly in pain. All because I chose to live on the third floor. “I thought at least I’d get some exercise every day if I have to hike to the third floor a bunch of times,” I explain.

He nods once, still concentrating on the stairs. “Solid plan.”

My room’s at the end of the hall and I hurry toward it, pulling out my key. I knock and push the door open slowly in case Denise isn’t in class for some reason. The room’s dark and empty. I push the door all the way open and flip the switch on the wall.

“Here we are.” I set the coffee and muffin on my desk and stand back, so Griff can enter. “It could fit in my closet at home, huh?” I joke.

“It’s, uh, small, yeah.” He slides my backpack off his shoulder and sets it on the floor next to my desk. “You share this with someone?”

“Yeah, she’s nice, though.”

“That’s good.” He hands me the bag with the coat and I take it out, shaking it a few times before opening my closet door and hanging it inside.

Griff jams his hands in his pockets and awkwardly leans against the wall. He glances at my bed. “Where did you find a purple-and-red comforter?”

I chuckle and duck my head. “I don’t want to say.”

“Okay. Yeah.” He crosses his arms over his chest and shifts on his feet.

Oh, no. He probably thinks Torch bought it for me or something. “I found it in the kid’s section of Pottery Barn on clearance,” I admit.

A wide, relieved grin spreads over his face. “Nothing wrong with that.” He steps closer and picks up the black stuffed bunny he gave me. His grin widens. “She even matches.”

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