Page 63 of Lords of the Campus

LYRIC

Iwake up slowly, the morning light filtering through the curtains and casting a soft glow across the room. My head feels heavy and fragments of the night before start to come back to me in a hazy blur. Panic begins to rise in my chest, my heart racing as I try to piece together what happened.

But then I realize where I am—Archer’s room. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the faint aroma of clean linens calms me slightly. I turn my head and see the boys are there, quietly talking among themselves. Relief washes over me when I spot Eli in Levi’s arms, playing with his fingers and looking content. A sense of safety envelops me, easing the fear that had started to build.

I shift slightly, drawing their attention. Archer is the first to notice I’m awake. His eyes soften and he gives me a small, reassuring smile. “Hey,” he says gently, walking over to sit beside me on the bed.

Levi follows, carefully holding Eli, and Zane stands nearby, his expression a mix of concern and something else I can’t quite place.

“How are you feeling?” Levi asks, his voice hushed but warm.

“I… I’m okay,” I manage to say, though my voice trembles. The memory of the confrontation with Cameron still looms large in my mind and I can’t shake the fear that they might hate me again.

Archer reaches out, taking my hand in his. “You’re safe here, Lyric. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

His words are like a balm to my frayed nerves. I glance at Zane, worried about what he might be thinking. But his eyes hold a gentleness that I haven’t seen in a long time. “We’ve got you,” he says simply.

Despite their reassurances, I can’t help but worry about their thoughts. Are they angry with me for what happened? Do they blame me? The uncertainty gnaws at me, but I push it aside, focusing on the fact that for now, they’re being careful and gentle.

Eli gurgles happily in Levi’s arms and I reach out to stroke his cheek. The touch grounds me, reminding me of what’s important.

“We need to talk about what happened,” Zane says softly, breaking the silence.

I nod, steeling myself for whatever comes next. “I know.”

Archer squeezes my hand. “Cameron was arrested by the campus police. He’s facing serious repercussions. But they need a statement from you about what happened in order to prosecute. We’ll take you over when you’re ready.”

Relief floods through me as I realize that there’s no anger in Archer’s eyes, no disappointment. Just a touch of sadness and something like regret.

“I’m sorry,” I say anyway, needing to clear the air. “I don’t remember everything that happened, but I’m sorry.”

“Don’t,” Levi says, stopping me. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Especially after everything you told us last night. We were the assholes.”

“You tried to help, but all we did was push you away,” Zane murmurs. “We screwed up. Royally. But we’re going to fix it.”

I take a deep breath, coming to terms with what they’re telling me. “You guys believe me, then?” I ask, my voice small. “You believe that I tried to clear your name?”

“Yes,” Archer says, cupping my face in his hands, capturing my attention with his piercing gaze. “We believe you. We are going to do everything in our power to make things right, Lyric. Do you think we can put the past behind us and start over again?”

A shiver runs down my spine at the intensity of his gaze. “I want to,” I say slowly, “but I need time.”

“We can give you time,” Archer promises. “We’ll take it slow.”

“What about custody?” I ask, a tremor in my voice. “You guys said you were going to take Eli away from me.”

Archer shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s dropped. We were idiots. Can you ever forgive us?”

“I don’t know,” I say, looking down at my hands as I swallow hard. I look up again, meeting Archer’s eyes once more. “But I want to try. Right now, I think Eli should get to know you as his daddies,” I tell them. “We can spend time together as friends, you guys can get to know Eli more and we’ll see what happens.”

“We’ll take things at your speed,” Archer promises.

His promise lingers in the air, filling me with a cautious sense of hope.

The next week seems to go by in a whirlwind. Archer, Levi, and Zane make good on their word and one afternoon, we gather at the nearby park. The boys stand around awkwardly, as though not quite sure how to navigate things with Eli yet. I watch as Levi tentatively approaches Eli, who is playing with a toy truck. “Hey, buddy,” Levi says softly, kneeling down to Eli’s level. “Can I play with you?”

Eli looks up, his big eyes curious. After a moment, he hands Levi the truck, a small smile spreading across his face. Levi’s face lights up and he starts pushing the truck around, making exaggerated engine noises that make Eli giggle.

Archer and Zane join in, each taking a toy and engaging with Eli as well, rolling the truck over the rubber playground surface and making it crash into things.

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