Page 13 of Her Males

I know that. The silence between us stretches as we begin to eat, and the rhythmic clanking and scraping of our silverware only makes things worse. Silas places his left hand on my thigh as he eats with his right, the touch subtle but soothing.

It’s weird how smoothly he’s transitioning into this boyfriend role, but I like it. Silas provides a softer intimacy, and his actions are a welcome change from the in-your-face affection Gray prefers.

My stomach expands as I eat, and I glance around to ensure nobody’s looking before unbuttoning my jeans. It allows my full belly to jut out, and I’m careful to keep my pants hidden under the table as I set my fork down and lean back in my chair.

Aziel watches my every action, but I pretend not to notice. I don’t know what I’m going to do about him. I’ve made my attempt to be friendly, and I’m not going to continue putting myself out there if he’s going to be a dick.

Letting him ever touch me was a mistake. There’s no denying he’s attractive, but that doesn’t make up for his lacking personality. He thrives off the chaos he creates.

Aziel clears his throat. “I slept fine. Thank you for asking.”

I blink. What? I didn’t realize Aziel could give a straightforward, borderline even polite, answer without spontaneously combusting. It’s also the complete opposite of what he said earlier, so clearly a lie.

Gray sinks his teeth into his bottom lip to hide a smile.

“That’s good,” I mumble, unsure what to say.

Nobody’s ever accused me of being a great conversationalist.

“Are you full?” Gray asks, nodding toward my half-empty plate.

He served me more food than I’d ever be able to eat, but I think I made a decent dent.

Gray doesn’t wait for my answer before grabbing the serving spoon. He drops a giant portion of food on my plate, and I can’t help but laugh as I grab his wrist to stop him from grabbing more. Silas even lets out a quiet snicker, the sound encouraging me as I pry the spoon out of Gray’s hands and set it down.

“I’m full, I promise. I know where the kitchen is if I get hungry later.”

“What’s going on between you three?” Aziel asks.

Silas gives my thigh a gentle squeeze. The touch is comforting, and I turn just in time to see the tail end of his grin.

“We’re together,” he says.

“And you plan to bond with her as Gray does?”

Aziel’s eyes dart toward Gray before settling on my neck. There’s nothing there, but I still resist the urge to scrunch up underneath his critical stare.

“We haven’t discussed it,” Silas says.

Aziel doesn’t ask any further questions, and we sit in tense silence until he stands and leaves without an explanation a few minutes later.

“What’re you and Rock working on today?” Gray asks, breaking the tension.

I shrug, unsure. I just show up and do what Rock tells me.

“Rock said you’re doing well in most of the subjects!” Gray continues, sounding excited. “It seems like you’re struggling a bit in math but doing great in history and language.”

My eyes narrow. Has he been having secret meetings with Rock behind my back? Gray seems to realize his mistake as he grimaces and disappears into thin air.

Silas lets out an abrupt laugh, seemingly finding the entire thing hilarious, and I turn to him with a sharp glare. It’s not funny. His eyes widen as he takes in my angered state, and I fight the urge to scream when he shoots me a wide smile and vanishes, too.

__________

I tap my pencil eraser against the desk, impatient as I wait for Rock to finish grading my test. I usually like to watch as he does it, but all I can think about is how he and Gray have secret meetings to discuss my progress.

How long have they been meeting?

Gray does tend to be a bit nosy, but I didn’t realize my intellectual achievements, or lack thereof, were of any interest to him.

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