Page 103 of The Forbidden
“No, you’re not,” Harrison retorts. “You don’t know the meaning of that word. After your fucked up relationship with the viper, you said it was something you didn’t believe in.”
I’m out of my seat before I can stop myself. Nathanial and Jameson grab me, stopping me from getting in Harrison’s face. “Don’t tell me what I fucking feel.” I hiss. “I love Anais. More than I love anything in this world.” I inhale a breath. “I know what I said. But things change.Shechanged me.”
I get that he’s angry, but how dare he tell me how I feel.
Harrison smirks, the look smug. “Well, seems it doesn’t matter. By the looks of it, my sister wants nothing to do with you.” He’s goading me. Again, I can’t blame him. But he needs to stop before my fist meets his face. No one wants that. Least of all him. Because best friend or not. I will beat his ass.
My whole body goes rigid, and I shoot him a glower. “I’ll fix this.” My voice is filled with determination, though I don’t have the first clue where to start. “And we will be together. So, you better start getting used to it.”
“Good luck with that,” he laughs, mockingly. “You know my sister. When she decides something, it’s final. And she looked pretty damn set on getting you out of her life.”
I glare, tearing myself free of my friends’ grip and straightening. I look Harrison dead in the eye. “I will get her back, Harrison.” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “You’re my best friend. But Anais… she ismywoman. I love her. And at some point, you’ll have to accept that.”
He shakes his head. “My sister deserves better than you.”
“She does.” I agree. “But no one will love her like I do. No one will protect her like I will.” I step forward, moving past him. “I can promise you that.”
Chapter 44
Anais
By Saturday, exactly three days after everything blew up at my brother’s apartment, I’m officially over wallowing in self-pity. Yes, my heart is broken, shattered into a million tiny pieces, but enough is enough. I haven’t heard from Evan, and honestly, I never expected to. He made it clear where we stand. And when he refused to be honest about our relationship, that told me everything I needed to know. I know something changed between us. IknowEvan felt it too. But whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t enough.
Uncle Christian called me, and from what he said, it’s obvious Evan downplayed everything. He believes I’m ‘sick’. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. Not after everything he’s done for me.
At 7:00AM, I know it’s futile trying to sleep, so I finally drag myself out of bed. I pull on my running kit, hit the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth and hair, and grab my phone and AirPods before heading out.
I inhale. Then exhale. Today, is a new day. I am determined to make it a good one, no matter how big the hole in my chest is. In the elevator, I slip in my earbuds and suck in a breath as I hit the button for the lobby. Shaking my head, I laugh humorlessly to myself. I need to get over this fear of elevators. I need to remind myself, one freak attack doesn’t mean it’ll happen again.
Locked in my thoughts, I don’t notice the ride down until the elevator doors open. I step into the lobby, greet the staff, and pull up my favorite Spotify playlist, hitting play. Music on, I exit my building, jogging in the direction of the High Line, planning to run the Hudson River greenway. I try keepmy mind on my run but it’s not easy. Every time my thoughts drift to a certain asshole, I silently scold myself and focus on my breathing.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been running when a shadow suddenly falls across me. My head whips around, startled, to find Jarrod, a classmate of mine at Columbia beaming down at me. Frowning, I slow to a stop, pause my music and pull out my earbuds.
“Jesus, Jarrod. You scared me.” I say, sucking in air, trying to catch my breath.
He chuckles, slipping his hands into his pants pockets. It’s only then I notice he’s not in running gear. “Sorry, Anais. I saw you running and thought I’d say hi.”
“Hi,” I reply, motioning my hands at his outfit. “You’re not really dressed for a run.” I point out.
His body tenses. He shifts on his feet, looking… nervous? His eyes bounce between mine as he runs a hand through his blonde hair. “Honestly? I wasn’t running.” His cheeks turn pink. He’s embarrassed? “I was out grabbing coffee when I saw you.”
I glance at his hands, pointedly. No coffee. Maybe he sat inside the coffee shop... And yet, something feels off about it. My skin prickles with awareness as my heart beats rapidly in my chest. And it’s not from the run. This feels different. My mind screams it’s not safe, tells me to run. But why? I’ve spoken to Jarrod plenty of times during our classes together. He always came across as shy, a bit of a loner. I was always polite, but he was someone I never really paid much attention to. But now as I watch him, I notice the twitch in his eye, the way he scratches at his arms… and most disturbingly, the way he’s staring at me. I recognize that look. And it’s exactly the same way I’ve looked at Evan for years.
Ice works its way into my veins, and a chill runs down my spine. My stomach twists.
Call it intuition, but something is definitely off.
Clearing my throat, I jerk my head. “Well, I should get going.”
His face falls, jaw tightens. I don’t like it. “I’ll come with you.”
My head shakes on its own volition. “No, that’s okay.” I blurt, a breath of relief rushing out of me when I spot other early morning runners nearby. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got somewhere to be.”
His expression turns dark, thunderous. He grinds his jaw, once, twice. And then as if something switches inside of him, he relaxes his posture and forces a smile. “Right. Well, you have a nice day, Anais.”
Nodding, I force a smile of my own, despite the unease swimming in my stomach. This whole interaction was making me feel on edge. “You too, Jarrod. See you at school.”
I turn to walk away, but his parting words, ominous and almost threatening, freeze me to the spot. “Yes. You will.”
