Page 46 of Bonds of Magic
Things were largely the same a week later.
Rekha and I hadn’t gotten anywhere in our tutoring sessions, and my lessons with Noah were now formal and uncomfortable. He kept his chair as far as possible from the couch, and wouldn’t get within five feet of me. I still felt like I was going to fail every one of my classes because I couldn’t do magic. And to top it all off, Ash and Felix had heard that Noah was the one who’d taken over my lessons from Romero, and they wouldn’t stop giving me shit about it.
Well,Ash wouldn’t.
He’d heard Noah telling me at the end of Combat today that our lesson would start late because he’d be off campus earlier in the evening. I couldn’t help wondering where he was going. Would he head back to the Balsam Inn? Would he meet up with that guy again?
It wasn’t my business, but I burned with indignation at the thought. Noah was going to say no to me, and then go hook up with that guy? It wasn’t fair.
Except that Noah didn’t owe me anything, and all my frustration was in my head.
“So what kind of lessonsishe giving you?” Ash asked that night at dinner. Min and Keelan had left the table earlier to head to the library and catch up on homework. “Are you sure they’re not…” he wiggled his eyebrows and lowered his voice “...sex lessons?”
“What? God.No.” This was the fifth time he’d asked in the past hour. Maybe I was more snappish than necessary, but his question cut close to the bone. “Literally why would you think that?”
Ash shrugged. “He said he was meeting you at your room. Where your bed is. With a door that closes. It seems like an obvious possibility.”
“Only if you live inside a gay porn movie,” I muttered.
Ash’s face went dreamy. “Mmm, that sounds nice.”
I ripped off a piece of my roll and threw it at him. It bounced off his nose.
“How dare you interrupt me from such a lovely day dream? Anyway, why’s he meeting you at your room if you’re not going to stay there?”
“Because of the dean’s restrictions,” Felix said, looking up from the book he’d been reading. His tone made it clear that this should be obvious. “The lessons must be taking place somewhere Cory can’t walk on his own.”
“Yeah, but where?” Ash asked with an expression of pained patience. Then he turned towards me. “Oooh, is there a secret sex dungeon out in the woods that he’s taking you to, andthat’swhere the sex lessons are happening?”
“Oh my God.” I put my head in my hands. This was torture. I didnotneed Ash to keep reminding me of how awkward I’d made things with Noah.
Felix snorted. “I think they’re probably going to the gym.”
I risked a peek through my fingers in time to see Ash wiggle his eyebrows again. “The gym, you say? Where there are all sorts of mats, perfect for getting sweaty on?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Can’t. That’s its home.” He smiled beatifically. “So, come on, what are you guys getting up to in the gym if you’re not getting down and dirty?”
“Nothing,” I said. “Can’t you drop it? You didn’t give me this kind of grief when it was Romero giving me lessons.”
“Not to put too fine a point on it, but Romero isn’t Noah. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still gorgeous in an Oxford-English-Dictionary kind of way, but when it comes to one-on-one time with a smokin’ hot Vesperwood professor, Noah obviously takes the cake. Has the cake, too. Have youseenhow good his ass looks in jogging pants?” Ash grinned. “Bet it looks even better out of them. Care to share a little first hand knowledge, Cory?”
“Jesus, we’re not hooking up, okay? He’s just giving me lessons on being—”
I cut myself off right before blurting out the truth, but not soon enough. The look in Ash’s eyes said I’d only made him more curious, and even Felix looked politely intrigued.
“On being what?” Ash said. “Huh? Huh? Huh?”
With each question, he picked off a piece of his own dinner roll and threw it at me, until I had an arsenal of bread balls littered in front of my plate.
I was annoyed with myself for letting as much slip as I had. Annoyed with Noah for putting me in this position. Annoyedwith the dean for puttingNoahin this position. I was annoyed at the entire world.
I wanted to be able to be honest with my friends. I hated lying to them, and hated hiding who I was.
I knew the dean had said it would be dangerous if people found out who—orwhat—I was. But surely Felix and Ash could be trusted to keep my secret. They knew what it was like to have people hate you for who you were.
Unless they would be wary of me too, if they knew the truth.
