Page 20 of The Rule Breaker
Aurora leans in with a smirk. “I know this is awkward for you, but I’m loving this right now.”
I exhale through my nose, shooting her a dry look. “I’m transferring schools.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” she scoffs with a shake of her head.
“I’m serious. I’ll pack my bags right now.”
Before I can make my escape, Nathan spots me. He lifts his hand, shooting me a smile before nudging Ryan and making his way over.
Ryan’s gaze falls on me. Our eyes lock for a few seconds before he follows my brother.
I retract my earlier statement. Iamgoing to die.
Nathan doesn’t hesitate, flopping into the seat beside me. He throws an arm over the back of my chair. Ryan sits beside him.
“What are you doing here?” my brother asks, arching a brow.
Aurora answers before I can. “Trying to drag your sister out of our dorm for once.”
Nathan snorts. “Is that why you look like that?” he asks, arching a brow, his gaze flicking to my hair.
My cheeks heat as I flip him off. “I hate you.”
My brother laughs. “Yeah, right. Tell me that the next time you need a favor. Speaking of which,” he says, shifting in his seat, “you still have a ton of crap at my place. Taking up all my space and shit.”
I let out a groan, squeezing my eyes shut. “I completely forgot about that. Dad said he’d handle it.”
Nathan snorts, jerking his thumb toward Ryan. “And yet she claims she’s not a baby.” He shakes his head, ruffling my hair. “You’re such a Princess.”
Why he continues to act like I’m a dog, I’ll never know. I shoot Nathan a glare, swatting his hand away, and attempt to fix my hair.
I try desperately not to make eye contact with Ryan. One of the reasons I enjoy talking to him is because he doesn’t treat me like I’m just Nathan’s little sister. But after this? I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts seeing me that way too.
“I’ll deal with it later, don’t worry,” I mutter.
My brother scoffs, unconvinced. “It’sa lotof stuff. Boxes and boxes of makeup and whatever other crap you hoard. No way you can move it alone.”
I glance at Aurora, batting my eyelashes. “You’ll help me, right?”
She sips her matcha, her expression blank. “I didn’t sign up for manual labor.”
I let out a chuckle and shake my head. Can’t fault her for being honest.
Nathan leans back in his chair, his eyes flicking to me with an eyebrow raised. “Well, you need to figure something out. Can’t have my room drowning in boxes.” He pushes himself up, tossing his jacket over his shoulder with a shrug and arches a brow my way. “Brushing your hair isn’t illegal, you know.”
Ryan chuckles as my brother heads to the door, rubbing a hand over his mouth.
I narrow my eyes. “It’s not funny.”
Ryan presses his lips together, a smirk tugging at the corners as he stands. “No, of course not,” he says, leaning in closer. His breath hits my cheek, and I suck in a breath, feeling the air escape my lungs. “But if you ever need help with anything… I’ll be your guy.” He pulls back, his lips twitching into a smirk and I feel a shiver race down my spine.
Before I can even come up with a response, Nathan calls out from the door, already on his way out. “Come on, man. We’re gonna be late.”
Ryan straightens, his posture shifting, and glances at Aurora before tipping his head her way. “Aurora.” His eyes slide back to me, and that damn smile of his stretches wider. “Later, Curls.”
I blink, trying to shake off the tension in the air, but it lingers, thick and undeniable. My heart pounds in my chest, and I have no idea why it’s affecting me this much.
Aurora chuckles from beside me, her voice dripping with amusement. “Nothing happened, she says.”
