Page 94 of Don't Let Me Fall (Don't Let Me 1)

“Actually. Scratch that,” Blake continues. “‘Cause I’ve been lifting weights lately. I love him less than I can throw him. Which is saying something, since even with the weightlifting, I’m still insanely weak,” she adds with another laugh.

Her pancakes are already soaked, but she picks up the syrup and pours more on them as if the stack is Theo’s head, and she’s hoping he’ll drown in it.

Seriously. The girl must have the metabolism of the Energizer bunny.

“Blake doesn’t like being told what to do,” Colt explains.

“Yeah. And since I already have three overbearing older brothers, I do not need another one. Most of your friends are cool and hands-off like Logan or any of Knox’s friends, but whenever Teddy comes by, he likes to be an asshat who thinks he can tell me what I can and can’t do. No, thank you. Au revoir. See ya later.” She takes another bite of pancake and grinds her teeth.

“That’s kind of funny,” I admit.

Blake frowns, pausing mid-chew. “Why?”

“Because I most definitely have not gotten that vibe from Theo. He’s like the most laid-back, loosey-goosey guy I’ve ever met.”

“Until Blake’s around,” Colt jokes. “Honestly, it’s refreshing. At least I know there’s one guy who won’t want to sleep with you next semester.”

“Colt,” Mrs. Thorne warns.

He laughs. “Sorry, Mom, but it’s the truth.”

“Mm-hmm,” she hums, clearly unamused, as she slices a piece of cantaloupe into a dainty little bite with her fork and knife.

“But back to the point,” Blakely continues. “If you really are looking for a roommate, I’m not even kidding. I would love to apply or”––she waves her fork around––“whatever.”

“Yeah, for sure. I’ll get your number from Colt and get it all taken care of.”

“Seriously?”

I nod. “Yeah. Happy to help.”

“Thank you.”

41

ASHLYN

The rest of brunch is spent laughing, talking, and soaking up each other’s company. Which is weird. And comfortable. It’s like I’ve already been accepted. In fact, it’s so easy, so effortless, I’m kind of blown away, and I love it more than I want to admit.

Growing up with my parents was kind of the opposite. Not that they didn’t love and accept me, it was simply…different. I felt like I didn’t fit in. Like I was too uptight for their hippie ways, too busy clinging to structure and bedtimes to appreciate their namaste outlook having little to do with rules or guidelines and more to do with finding your own path. The only problem was, my own path didn’t jive with theirs. It led me to crave rules and structure more than my next breath and only pushed my parents further away, convincing them I could take care of myself and I didn’t need them anymore.

But today? With Becca and Blakely? It was different. Easy. Maybe it’s because I don’t need them––hell, I barely know them––but I was embraced, regardless. And it’s exactly what I needed.

As I help wash the dishes in the kitchen with Mrs. Thorne, Colt and Blakely are moving some boxes into the attic for her.

Becca slides the last skillet into the soapy water and grabs a dish towel from the hook beside the sink.

“I want to thank you,” she says.

I glance back at her, surprised by the sincerity in her voice. “For what?”

“For helping Colt with his grades. My nosey mama heart hacked his online portal his first day at LAU, and I’ve been monitoring his grades ever since. Don’t worry. Colt knows,” she adds with a wink. “But Professor Buchanan updated the scores on his latest test earlier this week. Colt scored ninety-seven percent.”

“He did?”

My chest swells with pride as Mrs. Thorne grins back at me.

“Yes, he did. I don’t know what you did or what you said to convince him to start trying again but thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

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