Page 57 of The Casualty of Us
“No.” I whip my head his way, countering immediately. “Holden, stay.”
“No, Holden, go.”
“Holden,” I grind out his name, turning back on the instigator of this little rebellion with a warning glare. “Stays.”
He pauses for a beat, seeming to take stock of me before giving a careless shrug. “Fine. Let him stay. I don’t care if there are witnesses.”
Goddammit.
Dammit all to hell because this is not going to go well for anyone.
I’m not ready.
“Fine. Fuck. Go.”
I drop my ass back into the chair, crossing my arms and matching his pose as Holden finishes collecting his books while muttering, “Go find another, yeah, table.”
It’s not until he’s already walking away and we’re left staring at each other that Hayes finally reaches out, though, drumming his fingers against the table a few times before asking me simply, “Are you done?”
“Done with what?”
“Are you done making me bleed?”
I scoff at the hardening of his face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, really?” He leans in, sliding a hand closer to me across the table and giving it a knock. “Cause I’m pretty sure you jumped right to the executioner on day one.”
“So what?” I cock my head at him curiously. “Are you saying you don’t deserve it?”
“No.” He blows out a short breath, shaking his head. “No…I just need to know the sentence because this isn’t good for either of us.”
I look away with a shrug, falling back on… “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I count out the next few seconds in my head before his voice fills my ears again.
“Who are you right now?”
And it’s the tone of the question more than anything that has my gaze snapping back up. “Who am I?” I echo incredulously. “Who am I?” He leans back, face falling right before I toss a hand at him. “Who the fuck are you, Flynn?”
Something in his eyes dulls a little at my question, even as he swallows. “O—”
“You know what?” I cut him off quickly, reaching down to grab my backpack. “You don’t get to decide when we do—”
“Ophelia, we have to talk—”
“No!” I shoot out of my seat, wasting no time in leaning across the table to hiss out. “Don’t fucking push me right now because the truth is you’re right, you have no idea who I am.” I suck in a quick breath to finish. “And it’s not appreciated, nor will it get you anywhere.”
“Okay.” He pauses, eyes rolling over my face slowly before coming back up to deliver. “You let me know when I’ve bled enough then.” The offer is pitched so low it’s almost intimate, immediately making me hate every part of it. “You let me know when you’re done, and I can talk tomyOphelia again.”
“Your…your.” I gasp, a sudden pressure on my chest cutting me off for a breath before firing rapidly, “Fuck you, Flynn, I’m notyouranything, and this is not a game.”
“Really?” He pauses, lifting a brow. “Then you tell me what it is.”
And the beat of silence that follows damns me because where my denial should be, there’s nothing but the empty space between us.
“Feel free to take your time,” he offers casually. “I don’t mind waiting, and you’re right, I deserve it.” His brows shoot down, gaze holding mine for a long moment and searching for something I’m so terrified he’s going to find that I barely move. “But I’m not Ollie.” He stands, bracing his hands on the table and leaning in close enough to have me pulling back with a hitched breath. “I know you, Ophelia Sage.” Those hazel eyes start to run over my face, leaving mine to chase after them as he bites out five clear words. “And you don’t scare me.”
His gaze lifts to capture mine, and I purse my lips to stop the way they try to part, my stomach flipping itself into a mess as he continues quietly.
