Page 64 of Loving the Liar

Should I cut off his hand for the simple fact that he just wrapped his fingers around her biceps to squeeze twice? What kind of reassurance does she need that I couldn’t give her? None. I can give her anything she wants.

I take my time walking, trying to catch some of the conversation as I approach.

“I can try to talk to her, Els,” he tells her, sounding like he’s trying to be reassuring. “She can’t do this to you.”

“She can, and she did.”

It’s easy to recognize when Ella is a split second from dropping the mask. Her sentences shorten, and her smile almost trembles from her muscles straining.

“You were captain,” Matias adds. “It’s so unfair.”

“Class is about to start,” I say evenly, but inside my pocket, I’m playing with the pearl I always keep on me. It keeps me steady.

Matias barely gives me a glance before going back to his conversation, but Ella isn’t listening to him anymore. Her eyes are stuck on me.

“You should go.” Intriguing me, her voice gets quieter. She scratches her throat when she realizes. “Reeves will be here any minute now.”

He reluctantly steps back. “I’ll see you at the Xi Ep party tonight, right?”

“I hope so.” She smiles at him…and I hate it.

I watch him roll his shoulders back as he strides away, attempting to stand taller. It’s hard to stand any taller than me.

“Funny that the other guy you were dating got his kneecap shattered, and this one isn’t even scared to flirt with you in public.”

She crosses her arms over her chest in that I’m the ruler of this school way she does so well. Cute. When she acts childish, I like to pull a strand of her hair like a schoolboy with a crush. But I can’t today with everyone around us. Megan might have only been here for a few weeks, but she’s got eyes everywhere. Unlike Ella, she’s the kind to reign over a place with terror.

“We’re not going there today, Chris. You don’t get to pick who I date.”

“I absolutely do. You don’t date anyone.”

Throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder, she shakes her head. “Delusional much?”

I get closer to her, too close for the public eye. Tapping the desk she’s leaning on, I nod to myself.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Checking how sturdy your desk is since I’m going to sit you down and fuck you on it the second this lesson is over. Make sure you keep that in mind during the whole class.”

Her mouth drops open, and I take my time observing the blush creeping up her face. How beautiful. A work of art.

I’d love to keep playing along. To go back and forth and let her pretend I don’t make absolutely any decision I want when it comes to her. But I notice her mascara has run slightly, and the tip of her nose is red.

“You cried. What’s wrong?” It’s more than I can handle. I’m not controlling my body when my hand caresses her cheek. The one that doesn’t still bear the mark of Megan’s hit.

“Are you insane?” she hisses and looks around us. “Step back.”

I only listen because it would hurt her more if I didn’t.

“Tell me what happened. Is it because of yesterday?”

My hand twitches to touch her again. I can’t breathe when she’s unwell. It eats me from the inside, crawls up my neck. I worry.

“I don’t want to talk about yesterday,” she snaps. “I want to lock it in a box, put it at the back of my head, and never touch it again. You all disgust me.”

Fair. The Silent Circle isn’t exactly a gentleman’s club.

“I understand the reasons why, but it’s not exactly healthy to?—”

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