Page 40 of Obsessions of the Heart

Rubbing at my chest, I knew that this wasn't just attraction. It was hot and heavy, practically burning in my veins at certain moments. Sometimes my breath would be caught in my throat, or my eyes would feast on them like they never wanted to stop. I’d never felt this level of wild, untamable want.

“You ready, Rin? I don’t want Cinzia to send out a search party.” Ravi appeared with my bag in hand. Turning in his direction, I kept my face to the ground as I followed him.

I was going to need to sort through all of this because while I knew we’d agreed to be friends, my body wanted more.

The car ride was quiet. I kept my face turned away, looking out the window as Ravi drove. He asked me a million times if I was okay, and I told him everything was fine. When I said I just needed to be alone to deal with some feelings, he seemed to understand.

He dropped me off in front of my dorm, grabbing my hand, turning it around, and kissed my wrist. “From now on, you’ll be seeing more of us. Just remember not to use our names. Call us Ambros. Everyone else does, so it'll make it easier.” I nodded, thanking him for the ride as I clutched the hand he’d kissed and got out.

Cin was waiting on my bed, standing as soon as I opened the door, throwing her arms around me hard enough that I gasped from the impact. She seemed to catch on that I wasn't in the mood to talk about anything, so she put a bowl of freshly popped popcorn in front of me and patted my bed. Her laptop was open with a movie already queued up, and I laughed so hard during the movie that I fell off the bed, which just made us laugh even harder.

As we got ready for bed, Cin piped up, “So, you like him, eh?”

My brows furrowed. I was about to ask her who she was talking about, but then I remembered the boys were only one person to her. My mouth pinched as I thought of the best way to answer. “Like? I don't think that's the right word… but I did have fun with him, and he gave me great school advice.” I needed to keep up with that lie so she bought the whole mentor thing.

She stared down at her hands as she sat up in bed. I didn't like that look, wanting to understand it more. “Cin, are you really that worried?”

Her eyes closed for a second, taking a beat before she opened them and smiled at me. “I’m the same amount of worried about Ambros as I am about Elio and Luca being around you, but I made a decision today.” She glanced at her phone with a frown before giving her attention back to me. “While I’m a Ricci, I’m also your friend. It's on me to make both of those work.”

I winced at her words. “Is it really that hard to be both?”

Her smile wobbled, her eyes turning down as she explained, “Yes. Here, family is absolute. Friends, teachers, students, lovers, all of them are expendable, disposable. I don't want to treat you like that.” Her eyes flicked up to mine before she smirked. “I kinda wanna keep you. Who else is going to fall off the bed to make me laugh?” I threw my pillow at her, but she ducked at a surprising speed.

Laughing, she threw it back, but I caught it. “I’m sorry it's so hard to have friends. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve made more friends here than I have in my entire life.” Her eyes went wide, and I gave a humorless laugh. “Yeah. I’m more cautious than you think.”

Nodding to me, she moved to lie down. I grabbed a handful of my covers and pulled them back to settle in. Instead of the normal churning of my stomach at the thought of going to sleep, it was calm, settled. Glancing over at Cin, I noticed she was all tucked in and out for the night. I hoped that I wouldn't have a nightmare, but even if I did, I knew I was safe. The boys had made a soul-searing promise to me today, and I believed in it wholeheartedly.

The next few weeks went by in a blur. I had my normal English 101 class with Elio, and the only difference was that the professor introduced us to a temporary teacher's aide. Rion stepped out and introduced himself as Ambros to the class. Of course, Elio did not take this change well, immediately folding his arms while muttering obscenities.

I kicked at him, which turned into us having a footsie fight until the professor interrupted. So, basically, everything was normal except for the laser beams Rion sent Elio, giving the latter ideas. Now, class was a constant subtle fight between Rion and Elio to see who could get away with touching Layrin the most.

There was a lot of leaning over my shoulders, touching my arms, and excuses to hold my hand or play with me. It made class exhausting, and it wasn’t any easier to get work done outside of class either. Elio had to reschedule our meet-up, and by the time we did, one of the triplets somehow figured out where he was going to take me. No matter how many times we changed plans, one of the triplets wound up sitting at a nearby table or picking up food from the same restaurant. It always put Elio in a bad mood, which meant little progress on the project.

After our big reunion, the other brothers also started to show up more frequently. Ravi would find me at lunch, during a coffee break, or while working in the library. Once I got used to my schedule, I started making time to go to the student gym, and whenever I was there, so was Roux. All he did was watch from afar, occasionally leaving me a smoothie in my locker or filling up my water when I wasn't looking.

Cin would get a little snippy with them, but after a glance at me, she’d close her mouth and put up with whichever one it was in silence. It wasn't the best situation, but it was a start.

We still kept up the appearance of the “mentorship,” which was basically code for me coming over to their place to hang out with all of them. That was the thing I missed the most about the past, the fact that I could hang out with all of them out in the open.

The second time I came over, they had me program my thumb print, retinal scan, and voice code into their house system so I could get in whenever I wanted. They scoffed when I tried to protest that it was too much, and Rion brushed off my concerns with an excuse about upgrading the system now that I was coming over more. I kept my mouth shut, but how the hell did you make it even more secure?

It was Friday, and after yet another heartfelt reassurance to Cin, I went out to the Uber the guys had gotten for me. Last time I drove my car to their place, Ravi came out, face marred in horror, waving his arms around like a crazy person. Somehow, my car “wasn’t safe for a jewel like me.” Rion proceeded to point out everything wrong with my car while Roux leaned against the garage, frowning and shaking his head.

That night, we argued back and forth for hours. They wanted to buy me a new car, but I wanted to keep mine, knowing it still had some life in it. We finally compromised, deciding that I would take an Uber on their dime since they were the worrywarts. After that, I just had to use my key card at the gate and get through their three-step ID process.

That done, I hung up my backpack in the closet, placing my shoes next to the three sets along the wall like it was second nature. There was some kind of buttery, garlicky goodness in the air, and I couldn’t wait. My stomach was already rumbling.

Making my way through the front room, I smoothed my skirt down. I had gone with the typical college girl look today—worn out crewneck sweater with a white cami underneath and my favorite black skirt. I was finding out that when I knew I was going to their house, I put a little more effort into my outfit, wanting to look cute for them. It was ridiculous, but it was the first time I felt like I actually cared about what I wore.

Noticing a black and green jacket draped across the back of the couch, I shook my head. Ravi.

Rion was a bit picky about everything having its place, but Ravi had a very fluid mindset. It was more like, wherever he put something must be its proper place. Snickering to myself, I picked it up and put it on the coat rack.

“Rin?” Rion’s voice called from the kitchen, and I made my way around the corner.

“Hey, Rion, I just—” I stopped short, my knees growing weak as a flutter worked its way through my belly. Rion was standing in front of the stove, where pots bubbled, filling the room with a delectable scent. He was stirring one of the pots while sautéing something in the other, making it look easy to juggle both things.

He looked over his shoulder, making a simple outfit of jeans, a tight white t-shirt, and a red apron look like a Playgirl spread. He motioned for me to sit at the island. “Good. You’re here. I need a taste tester.”

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