Page 139 of Counter Bet

Emily.

Scarlet plops herself down in the chair next to me with her usual dramatic flair before glancing at Landon, who lifts an eyebrow. She holds her phone out to me. “It’s done. I placed the first photograph on Ben’s desk this morning and filmed his reaction for you. It’s obviously not the best quality since I had to be discreet about it.”

I freeze, my heart jumping to my throat as Scarlett’s words sink in. “Which one?”

She smiles and leans in close, her flowery perfume invading my senses. “I figured the best one to start with was the‘I’m sorry.’Nice and simple. And it’s a cute photo of you on Ben’s shoulders.”

My knee is bouncing beneath the table. I take a steadying breath, staring at the phone in my hand. What if Ben hated the gesture? Or even worse, what if he didn’t care at all and threw the photograph away? I don’t think I could handle it if he did.

Scarlett reads my thoughts and places a hand on my arm. “It’s okay. Trust me.”

I want to trust her, but it’s hard.

“If you leave now, don’t bother coming back.”

Her eyes soften, and she flicks her gaze down to the phone cradled in my hands. “Watch it.”

“Okay...”

I’m still hesitating, and my fingers are trembling, so she helps me unlock the screen before pressing play.

I hold my breath.

Ben appears on the screen, dropping his backpack down on the floor by his chair. Black jeans mold to his nice behind, and a grey t-shirt hugs his chest.

My heart thunders in my chest when he spots the picture on his desk. It’s just visible from this angle.

“I made sure it faced upwards so he could see it straight away,” Scarlett whispers next to me, a mischievous smile on her lips.

Ben stiffens and stares down at the photograph for a long minute before reaching out to pick it up. He’s just about to touch it when he pauses and his fingers, only inches away, hover midair.

What is he thinking?

He looks over his shoulder as if expecting to see me there. I clamp a hand over my mouth, eyes pricking with tears. He gingerly picks it up and studies the photograph for a moment, then flips it over and reads my handwriting on the back.

‘I’m sorry.’

Ben rubs the back of his neck, drops the picture on the desk, and stares out of the window, lost in thought.

The girl from the previous day comes up behind him, stroking her manicured nails over his back.

Nails I want to rip off with tweezers.

Ben snatches up the photograph from the desk and puts it in his back pocket. The girl’s private smile tells me all I need to know as she rounds him, pushing her tits against his chest.

My heart squeezes painfully. Next to me, Scarlett whispers my name and puts a comforting arm over my shoulder in a rare display of affection as if she knows my heart is breaking.

They take a seat. I know Ben too well to miss the tension in his shoulders. He rubs his palms over his face before dropping them down on his spread thighs, sweeping his eyes across the room.

The camera stops filming.

“He tore out of there like a bat out of hell after class. Even I could tell the picture affected him.”

“I’m not getting my hopes up yet, but it’s worth a try. Isn’t it?” I smile weakly.

Scarlett squeezes me to her. “Girl, it’s definitely worth a try, and he’s a fool if he doesn’t take you back.”

Landon clears his throat. “Scarlett and Jane told me the other day.”

---