Page 63 of Love, Academically
“Nearly,” Jasmeet said, scuttling upstairs.
Elin would have to be his safe space. His sister, for all her annoyances and issues, supported him and his decisions, even if she didn’t understand them. Lila was already doing so much,coming with him tonight. He couldn’t put any more of his nervousness on her.
Even if she had told Jasmeet his secret.
A noise and a shuffle came from upstairs. Rhys’s shoulders tightened even more. It was nerves about seeing Lila inthatdress. The dress that made her feel like a princess.
Fuck, he was like a teenager on his first date. This was fucking ridiculous.
His head whipped up at the merest hint of a sound on the stairs, but it was just Jasmeet and a twinge of disappointment pulled at his insides. He needed to get a grip of himself.
“Two minutes, Rhys.”
Jasmeet narrowed her eyes at him.
“She’s really nervous. She’s worried about letting you down, about not being good enough for—” She snapped her mouth shut.
Ah. Right.
“For my rich family,” he finished for her.
Jasmeet flinched slightly and waved her hand dismissively.
“I think she’s more nervous about the whole Welsh thing than the rich thing.” She lowered her voice. “They’re your family, Rhys. She never met Jason’s family.”
“What, never? In seven years?”
Jason was a fool and delusional to boot. Rhys could think of two explanations as to why Jason had never introduced her to his parents. Firstly, he hadn’t told them that they were even together. Or, that they did know about her and he was ashamed to take her to meet them. Either thought left a sour taste in his mouth, because of what a disgusting fucking human being Jason was.
“Never. In seven years,” Jasmeet repeated.
Using Lila’s beautiful nature and willingness to help to his own ends was despicable and demonstrated by his free use of Lila’swages forhismotherfucking loan. It boiled Rhys’s blood. But destroying her esteem by never introducing her to his family was something else. Jason had more than likely removed every ounce of self-esteem that Lila had. He started to understand why she fell back into old habits around Jason and why it took her a few days to get over seeing him.
Protectiveness surged through his chest and his hands clenched involuntarily. Rhys was a lot of things, but he vowed there and then to be the best person that he could for Lila. She deserved the world and he would do his best to help her get it.
“So, yeah, she’s worried that she’s not good enough. She’ll never say it, but that’s the problem,” Jasmeet said.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“That may be so,” Jasmeet took a step into his personal space, “but if you make her feel in any way less than your richy-rich family, I will break you. I won’t do it quickly, I won’t do it easily. It will be painful and you will rue the day you ever thought about hurting my friend.”
Jasmeet’s big brown eyes bore holes into his face with laser precision.
“Do you understand?”
“I have absolutely no intention of making Lila feel less than anything,” he said, bristling. “In fact, Jasmeet, I resent the fact that you are equating me with that absolute fucking dishcloth, Jason.”
Jasmeet grinned.
“Well said, Rhys.”
A smile pulled at his lips. They were on the same page. Good.
A little “oh shit” reached his ears and Rhys turned to see Lila gripping the banister with both hands, shuffling down the stairs slower than an ant with two legs.
Rhys found it difficult to get a full breath into his chest because regardless that Lila was bent almost double, the skirt of herdress thrown over one arm and her brows pulled tightly together in concentration, she made him forget how to breathe.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Lila, we practiced this,” Jasmeet said, rushing halfway up the stairs to take her hand.
