Page 61 of Stray
That did nothing to stop the anguish that carved up my insides. I rolled off him, pulling the sheet tight around me. How could he do this to me?
“I want to be with you, Stray,” I said, choking on the lump that lodged in my throat. “I understand what that means. I thought you wanted to be with me too.”
He rolled onto his side to face me. “There’s nothing I want more than that except to keep you safe. I think the only way to do that is for you to stay away from me. At least until everything with Venom blows over. I don’t want to hurt you, Codie. I want to protect you.”
Hot tears burned the back of my eyes. I angrily rubbed them away with the heels of my hands. “Well it’s too late for both of those things, isn’t it?”
I laid there staring at the ceiling while Stray got dressed. He tried a few times to explain himself further. I’d already heard enough. I understood that he felt guilty because of what happened tonight with Venom. Pushing me away wasn’t the way to deal with that.
I sure as fuck wasn’t going to beg. Maybe he was right. Maybe we were better off apart.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CODIE
At first I was deeply hurt by Stray and his insistence that we should be apart. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous his reasoning sounded, and the more pissed off I became. He made a point of keeping his distance on campus. However, several times I caught him following me to my car. Another time I saw him watching me outside the bank.
How the hell did he think it was fair to cut me off while still stalking my every move? He didn’t want this any more than I did. Somehow he’d convinced himself that this was the right thing to do. If he really believed that, why couldn’t he stay away from me?
After more than a week of this bullshit had passed, I got together with my girls to vent about it. We’d gathered at a local restaurant for dinner. I was almost too angry to eat my grilled chicken sandwich.
“Can you believe I caught him tailing me to school this morning?” I ranted. “For a stalker, he’s doing a shit job at going unnoticed.”
Storm laughed, popping a nacho chip in her mouth. “I’m pretty sure he wants you to notice him, Codie.”
“I don’t understand why. He’s the one who called this off.” I plucked a fry from Ripley’s plate, nibbling it as I glared out the window at the street beyond.
“Who knows why guys do half the shit they do?” Luna shrugged. “I’ve given up trying to figure them out.”
“Same,” Athena agreed. “Once I get some good dick, I’m gone. I don’t need the nonsense that comes with it.”
I scowled. “You guys are doing a really great job at making me feel better. Note the sarcasm.”
“Don’t hate me for saying so but maybe Stray is right. Maybe you are better off apart. Being involved with him almost got you killed.” Ripley offered me an apologetic smile. “Just trying to bring a different perspective to the conversation.”
Luna shook her head, stabbing her fork into her salad. “I’m a fan of going after what you want. If you think you can really love this guy, I say be a boss bitch and make him yours.”
Ripley often kept her opinions to herself. Still, she’d made it clear before that she thought guys like the Kings were not worth the risk. Since Rebel and Storm got engaged, she hadn’t mentioned it much, doing her best to be a supportive friend. I understood where she was coming from. Yet I just couldn’t get on board with that. Storm knew what she wanted. She was happy. I wanted that too.
“Maybe you two should talk,” Storm suggested. “Go for coffee. Something neutral and safe.”
I angrily chewed a bite of my sandwich, annoyed all over again at the situation. “All I know is that something has got to give here. I’m going to lose my mind.”
Ripley tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Whatever you do, be careful.”
“Screw that,” Athena jumped in with a wicked cackle. “Whatever you do, make that boy worship you like the goddess you are. It’s the least he can do.”
While the conversation turned to Storm’s fast approaching wedding and the many Halloween festivities that would be taking place in town, I grew increasingly distracted. My mind spun, pondering the many ways to approach this situation with Stray.
I could forget him completely, although that was proving almost impossible. There was always the idea of going for coffee and trying to rationally talk this out. However, there had been nothing rational about my relationship with Stray so far. That didn’t feel like the right way to handle things. Ultimately, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
When we finished dinner and headed out to our vehicles to leave, I pulled Storm aside. “Do you have any idea where Stray might be right now? Assuming he’s not lurking around here somewhere watching me. Would Rebel know?”
“I have no idea personally, but if anyone would know, it would be Rebel.” Storm plucked her phone from her bag and tapped out a message to her fiancé. After a minute, she said, “Stray is just leaving the graveyard. They had to meet there for business an hour ago.”
“Thanks, girlie. You’re the best.” I gave her a quick hug before racing over to my car. Time to turn the tables.
I drove toward the graveyard, taking the most commonly used route. Keeping my eyes peeled for Stray’s Mustang, I spotted it immediately as he came toward me.
