Page 111 of All Bets Are Off

I roll my eyes. “I’m being serious, Andrews. I know with every fiber in my being that she isn’t happy with him. That she still wants us. So why the fuck did she choose him? I should have all the pieces and yet they aren’t fitting the fuck together. I’m going insane.”

Her hand lands on my arm and she gently squeezes. “You can’t force answers out of her, Ashton. She will tell you when she’s ready to tell you.”

I pull my arm away from her and begin pacing. “And what if she’s never ready?”

She arches a brow in my direction. “You know her better than that,” she scolds.

“I thought I did,” I mutter. The Brielle I know would have never ghosted us in the first place. I rear back in shock as she smacks me upside the head.

“You know that girl. She,” she hesitates. “She has her reasons for doing things this way.” She holds a finger up to stop me from interrupting her. “She will share those reasons when she is good and ready.”

I rock back on my heels as I debate how to respond to her, running my hand through my hair I sigh. “You know, you’re only solidifying my theory that I’m right.”

“What do I know?” She shrugs. “I’m not the one she kissed.”

My cheeks heat once again and I curse to myself. Guess I shouldn’t have admitted that to her. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time she uses it against me. If only she knew just how much I kissed Brielle.And where.

“Look,” she sighs, her tone more serious as she hikes her bag on her shoulder. “If you want to help her, make sure she isn’t hurting anymore, then you need to back off. Give her space. No more pranks, no more bets, not even any more rewards. No more questions, Ashton. Just give her some time to sort her reasons out.”

My face falls, the very words I didn’t want to hear. Her hand reaches out and she gives my arm another squeeze. “Just a little time. Don’t give up on her. I’m rooting for you guys after all.” With that last bombshell, she turns and walks away, going into the dorms.

I watch her leave, her words echoing in my head with every step.

How did we get here? How did I feel so close to pulling her back in, only to have her walk away from us once more.

But can I walk away from her?

I know her, know who she is, what she stands for, what she fucking tastes like.

There is no way that girl is truly gone, I just need to find a way to bring her back.

I fix my tie the best that I can and smooth it down against my taut stomach. A chill runs down my spine and I lift my eyes to the mirror to find Elias staring at me over my shoulder. He shakes his head at me, a small smile breaking through his mask.

I’m always thankful to have him here, seeing as how my parents hardly ever are. The Knights house is the opposite of mine in every way. Loud, chaotic, with people always over, and something always going on. I like being there, but Elias is quick to leave again. Seeking solace in the silence.

We’ve always joked that we must have been switched at birth. He’s more comfortable in the quiet, sterile environment that I’ve grown up in while I crave the noise. Not that I ever take part in it. I just like to enjoy it. Be surrounded by it. His family is always more than welcoming. But we always stay here.

At least with him staying here with me I don’t feel so alone. Can’t hear the echo of my every footstep as I walk through this mausoleum that can barely be called a home.

“You’re helpless,” he chastises. “Turn around.”

I huff but a sense of comfort washes through me as I follow his instructions. His fingers immediately move and begin to loosen my tie until the knot is undone. The silence weighs heavily between us as he methodically redoes my tie and smoothes it into place. It looks much sharper and even and I whisper my thanks to him.

His fingers hesitate, pressing against the satin of the tie and resting against my abs. His eyes won’t meet mine and I hold my breath, waiting for him to speak first. There’s been a new tension between us since Thanksgiving. One I was sure only I would ever feel, acknowledge, or even understand. But each time Eli moves into my space, he seems that much closer to breaking down that invisible barrier between us.

He swallows thickly and his eyes dart off to the side, landing on Brielle’s journal. His hands drop away from me, but he doesn’t step away, insteading running his hands through his hair as he takes a deep breath. “Did you read the rest of it?”

I shake my head, releasing the breath I was holding. “Not yet,” I admit.

He hums to himself. “Scared what you’re going to find?”

Of course I am. I’m scared to see that I’ve been wrong this whole time. That I could have hurt her and my friends for no reason. That all I’ve done is made it harder for her to be happy and move on while also robbing the guys of the revenge they wanted.

“I’m not ready to let her go,” I whisper. The last few weeks should have been some of the busiest of my life, finishing my first semester of college, studying for finals, focusing on projects, preparing for Christmas and our trip back home. Yet another stupid gala that I wish I could skip, but of course can’t.

All I could truly focus on was her. The wild theories running through my head as I watched her from afar. Obsessively trying to build up the courage to open her journal again and seek out answers. Different ones. Ones that made everything else make sense. But I couldn’t. She continued to avoid us like the plague, refusing to even meet our eyes.

Carson hasn’t been back even once from the havoc that Elias has been continuing to throw his way by disrupting deals, leaking more information on their pharmaceutical company to the FDA, and just straight up stealing investors. He won’t be able to continue for much longer from the shadows. I’m shocked the Crawfords haven’t traced the chaos back to him yet.

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