Page 59 of Fall

At that, everyone at the table laughs, and my teeth feel like they’re going to shatter from the tension in my jaw.

I push Micah’s hand off my knee and look around the room to find Caleb and Elijah intensely staring in our direction. As soon as my eyes connect with Caleb, he pushes out his chair to stand, and Elijah follows suit.

I let my shoulders sag and my head fall forward, praying that they’re just going to leave the room and take Micah with them. But prayer has never worked for me before, so I don’t even know why I bother.

“Micah,” Caleb says in his authoritative ‘I am king’ voice. “I thought we agreed you’d stay away from her.”

I cross my arms over my chest and raise an eyebrow in Micah’s direction, mocking him. Defying his brother is not in his nature. As strange as it sounds, it looks like today Caleb and I agree on at least one thing.

Micah glances at me, winks, and turns to Caleb with a sly grin. “I didn’t agree to anything. You spoke, I listened. You’re more than welcome to sit and have lunch with us, but your fiancée isn’t allowed.”

My jaw drops at his words.What the hell is this?

I shake my head and push at Micah’s shoulder. “Just go with them. You don’t belong here.”

He looks back at me. “Of course, I do.”

Elijah moves around the table and puts his hand on top of Micah’s shoulder. “Don’t be dense, man. She was the biggest mistake of our lives. No need for a repeat.”

I ignore his jabs and stare up at Caleb. The rage in his eyes could set the entire dining hall on fire as he clenches and unclenches his fists before speaking.

“I’m going to say this one more time. I get that you almost died, but that doesn’t mean that you get to be reckless. You’re still a Knight, and I’m telling you to stay away from her.”

Micah sits up straighter, forcefully brushing Elijah’s hand off his shoulder, and stares directly at Caleb.

“And I’m going to say this for the final time. I will do as I please, and if I want to spend time with her, I will. It’s notyourchoice to make.”

Shock shadows Caleb’s face. “Brother,” he says in no more than a whisper.

“This isn’t about you, bro. Shouldn’t I be allowed to make my own choices?”

I shift my gaze to Celeste and Taylor. Celeste is enthralled with the scene playing out in front of us, like it’s a fucking A-list movie. Her bright eyes are just swallowing up the elite drama with her elbows on the table and her chin resting in them.

Taylor, on the other hand, looks stressed. His focus darting between each of the guys and then finally landing on me.

The testosterone flooding the dining hall is suffocating. It’s time for me to go.

“You know what, this is stupid. You guys wanna have a pissing contest, go for it,” I say, rising from my seat. “Cele, let’s go.”

Celeste scrambles to her feet, picking up her bookbag, and grabs her tray. She may be enjoying the show, but she also knows when to be my friend. Taylor proceeds to get up with her, but I stop him.

“No, Bryant. I don’t need any more dicks invading our space today. Coming back here was your idea. You deal with this shit,” I command, and walk out of the room.

* * *

“Hey, Evie. Can I ask you something without you getting all bitchy, defensive, or crazy?” Celeste asks from the kitchen.

“Ouch. I’m not that bad. So, you gonna let me ask you about what’s really going on between you and Taylor?” I question back, revealing the smirk on my face as I drop the book I’m currently reading on the sofa.

She narrows her eyes at me, but says nothing in return. I watch her pour our coffees, clearly thinking through whatever the hell she wants to ask.

I lay my head back on the armrest of our little purple sofa and stare at the ceiling. I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to embed herself into me so deeply that I don’t think there is anything that I would deny her anymore.

Dammit. I’m getting soft.

“Fine. Ask away.”

“What’s the deal with you and Micah? I mean… Why are you always turning him down? He obviously likes you. He’s charming, on a path to be super successful, and not to mention gorgeous.”

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