Page 166 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

I released a breath. Okay, so we were just going to ignore her, then. Actually, that was probably the best plan. It wasn’t as if she knew us or the other way around. Why would we need to acknowledge each other?

But then, the bartender approached her, and she announced that she had a takeout order to pick up for a taco pizza, and I almost fucking melted. She liked taco pizzas too. It was fucking fate. Something in me knew—had always known—she was my fate. I belonged with her.

As if sensing my spiraling thoughts, Rush sighed wearily and turned to her. “Hey,” he said in a very lackluster way. “It’s Avery, right?”

At her name, she whirled to us in surprise. When she focused on Rush first, recognition lit her gaze. Then she turned her gaze to me, and her eyes grew even wider. I could tell she had no memory of sharing a class with me our freshman year or running into me that one time; she only recognized me as that guy who’d nearly gotten into a fight with her boyfriend.

I was Reuben’s enemy, and therefore her enemy. Her gaze turned wary and untrusting, and she shifted an inch away before returning her attention to Rush.

Something in me died. It just fucking withered away and turned to dust. I saw her as this blessed, infallible being, and she saw me as…bad. I think that’s what gutted me the most. So she was with Reuben. Fine. He’d been the gutsier one who’d had the balls to approach her first. That made sense. But he’d turned her against me before she could lea

rn a single detail about me. I absolutely hated knowing she would always and forever more be leery of me.

“That’s right,” she answered Rush. “I’m Avery. You guys are in the marching band with Reuben, right?”

Her gaze flittered uneasily my way as if she wanted to be polite and include me in the conversation but she didn’t really want to talk to me at all.

“Yep,” Rush answered easily. “Drums,” he added, pointing to himself. Then he motioned to me. “Tuba.”

She laughed as if delighted. “Do you always say the instruments you play in place of your names when introducing yourselves?”

I winced, because God, that laugh. That beautiful, musical, enchanting laugh. Why did it hurt so much to hear? It felt as if it had been years since I’d last heard it, too. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until it was right there in my ear and bouncing around inside me, torturing me with everything I could never have.

“Of course,” Rush answered her easily. Fucker never had any problem talking to anyone, male or female. “Names are boring. The instruments are what really tell you anything about a—”

I couldn’t take any more of this. She was standing too close. Her voice was so nice. And her laugh... I loved that fucking laugh.

Standing up from my barstool abruptly enough to startle Rush into breaking off whatever he was saying, I caused both him and Avery to gape at me in shock as I turned away from them.

Feeling like an ass, I strode off, escaping toward the hallway that led off to the bathrooms.

Behind me, Rush called, “Hey! Henry? What the hell? Where’re you going?”

I completely ignored him, bleeding inside. Once I reached the door to the men’s room, I lifted my hand to push my way inside, only to stop and just…stand there. Bowing my head, I clenched my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut.

What the hell was I doing? Why was I still letting her affect me so strongly?

I’d been handling life so well too. I barely ever thought of her anymore. And I was getting better at ignoring the hopes and wishes that had once been so vibrant and alive inside me.

I’d been getting over her.

And then Rush had to go and fucking talk to her. In front of me. What had he been thinking?

When he appeared in the hallway and saw me, he lifted his hands. “You sick or something? Why’d you take off like that?”

I turned and glared. “Why did you talk to her?” I hissed, seething and hurt and pissed and not sure how to deal with any of it.

He shook his head as if confused. “What do you mean? Because she was there. And honestly, I kind of thought that’s what you wanted me to do?”

Okay, so maybe I had wanted him to. In the beginning. But that was before I realized how much it would hurt when he actually did. So I stared at him as if he were insane. “Why would I ever want that?”

“Dude,” he started, laughing harshly. “You have wanted her for how long now? And you’ve yet to have a single, honest conversation with her. That’s just crazy. I was handing you a golden opportunity. You could’ve finally just talked to her.”

“She’s with Reuben,” I muttered. “I don’t want to talk to her.”

“Yes, you do. You want to talk to her so bad you ache inside. So, why didn’t you? Why didn’t you just learn what she was like? You know, maybe you would’ve actually realized she was a flesh and blood human like the rest of us if you had. Hell, you might’ve learned she’s not as great as you set her up to be in your head. And maybe you would’ve been able to get past this crazy torch or whatever it is you’ve been carrying for her.”

I shook my head, disregarding all the logical, and honestly good, advice he gave. My heart didn’t care about good, logical advice. I’d been trying to feed it that for over two years now in order to get it to stop wigging out every time she was around. It had never listened to my brain before, why would it listen to Rush now?

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