Page 54 of The Misfit

I cup my hand over my face and gasp, but he doesn’t hear me.

“If you ever,” Lee growls through his teeth, the word bitten off, “come near her again …”

The clear threat hangs unfinished in the air. Aries’s eyes widen with something that looks like fear.

I should be doing a lot of other things right now like counting, cleaning, or running. I should be doing anything except noticing how the muscles in his back flex, how powerful he looks, how much I want … yet I can’t help but wonder about those scars.

“Salem.” Lee’s voice slices through me, dragging me back to the present. He hasn’t looked away from Aries or moved an inch. “Go into the bathroom and wait for me.”

“But—”

“Now!” It’s not a request.

I can’t think of a response, so I do as I’m told and flee into the steam-filled room, slamming the door behind me.Is it true? Is this really nothing but a game to him?It seems unlikely, but how can I really know? I’ve been fooled before.

I press my gloved hands against the sink and try to breathe. Thoughts swim in my head, and my throat tightens. On the other side of the door, I hear Aries’s voice, only vaguely muffled by the door.

“You can’t keep pretending forever.”

“Shut the fuck up! You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do. My love life is none of your business. It’s no one’s business. We might be friends, but you’ve taken shit too far this time!”

I don’t want to hear this. I cover my ears with my hands and pace from one side of the bathroom to the next, my eyes darting around.Exit. I need an exit.

Outside, Lee and Aries continue to argue. I don’t understand why this is such a big deal to Aries or why he’s inserting himself in the middle of things. Does he think I’ll rub off on Lee or something? I utter a choked laugh, the sound echoing back harshly from the tiled walls. Maybe he’s worried I’ll turn him into a freak just like me?

Jesus. He’s not wrong.

My anxiety climbs higher and higher. I peer around the room, looking for a way out, an outlet, something, anything to help. An amber bottle sits on the counter near the sink.

“Don’t act like you’re actually interested in this girl. We both know you aren’t. This is some fucked-up game because you’re bored.”

Anything but that.I’m terrified to realize, suddenly, that I really, really don’t want that to be the case.I actually like Lee.

My breath hitches, and my chest squeezes hard and painfully. Before I know it, I’m reaching for the bottle of pills like they’re a lifeline. Maybe they’re the same thing my doctor gave me to stop the noise. Perhaps they’re not. I don’t think it matters.

Lee’s response is too quiet for my ears to hear. The next thing I know, the door to the bedroom slams closed, the sound rattling through me.

One minute of silence.

Two racing hearts.

Three impossible truths:

I’m in Lee Sterling’s bathroom.

He’s still naked on the other side of this door.

And nothing about my emotions right now feels fake.

“Salem?” His voice is closer now, softer. “We need to talk.”

Yes.

We really do.

But first, I need to remember how to breathe.

THIRTEEN

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