Chapter 51 CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Scarlett’s POV
I stammered, my voice small. "I... I just needed a book from the library for my assignment. I thought I could get it quickly. I didn't think anyone would be out."
Blue turned away, lifting his head toward the ceiling like he was trying to find patience he didn't have. The frustration in his posture made tears sting my eyes. I didn't mean to be such a bother. I was always the one causing trouble for him.
"I’m sorry," I said quietly, looking at my feet. "I didn't mean to cause trouble for you. I’ll just return to my room now."
I started to walk away, my head down. I’d barely taken three steps when I heard him move. He caught up to me in two strides and grabbed my arm firm enough to stop me.
"Don't be silly," he said, his voice strangely softer now as he started walking, pulling me along with him. "It’s not you. A lot has been happening lately that I need to find solutions for. I have a score to settle with Mason, so regardless of whether tonight happened or not, I would still have been dealing with this."
"Why?" I asked. "What did he do?"
"He informed my father about you," Blue said, his jaw tightening. "I will not let him off for that. It’s just that he’s working for my father, so I have to be careful about how I handle it."
I noticed he wasn't taking me back to the female dorms. He was leading me toward his room. "Can you really not break off from your father?" I asked.
Blue was silent for a long time. The only sound was our footsteps on the stone. "I never really wanted to," he said finally. "I just did as he asked. It wasn't that inconvenient, even though I knew most of it wasn't legal. I didn't care enough to stop him."
He stopped at the door to his room. "But now that it looks like I want to, it’s hard. My father is not a man that should be crossed. If you knew him like I do, you would understand. He has connections in places you cannot even start to imagine. I can only take his assault for now and wait for my opening."
I was floored. This was the most I had ever heard Blue talk at once. It was the most open he’d ever been with me. "So what changed?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "Why are you telling me all this now?"
Blue pushed open the door, gesturing for me to enter. I noticed he doesn't bother to lock it whenever he leaves. He looked at me, his expression unreadable.
"Because now I have something to protect," he said. "And I want you to start pulling your own weight. I’m going to give you some responsibilities later."
"Huh? Responsibilities?" I asked, standing in the middle of his room.
He just looked at me and didn't explain.
Then he asks, "Why? You don't want to?" Noticing the way I’d frozen after his last comment.
I shook my head quickly. "No, no. I’d like to. Honestly, I’ve been feeling like such a bother lately. It would be nice to have something to do besides just waiting for things to happen to me."
I walked over to the chair where I usually sat when I was here and dropped into it. I looked up at him and couldn't help the cheeky smile that spread across my face. "So, what are we talking about? Am I joining your gang or something?"
Blue eyed me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Or something," he said vaguely. Before I could push for more details, he checked his watch and gestured toward the living area. "Sleep for tonight. Tomorrow is still Sunday; you can get the book you need for your assignment in the morning. There’s no point in wandering the halls again tonight."
I nodded, feeling the bad vibes from the encounter in the hallway finally start to fade.
"Actually," Blue added as an afterthought, "maybe you can join me in tomorrow’s meeting. I’m sitting down with the guys to discuss a few things."
I tried my absolute best not to do a literal happy dance right there in his chair. I settled for a slight vibration in my seat, my heart racing with a different kind of excitement. It was probably a little crazy because most girls would be terrified to be invited to a meeting with the most dangerous delinquents in a reform school but for the first time since I arrived at Bellamy, I felt like I actually belonged somewhere. I wasn't just a victim or a girl being protected, I was being included.
Blue looked at me, a flicker of amusement in his grey eyes. "Are you alright? You aren't hungry, are you?"
"I’m all good," I said, my voice bright.
"Alright. You can sleep on the sofa. I’ll be inside."
Instant sadness washed over me, but I worked hard to keep it off my face. I’d gotten used to his presence, and the thought of him being away in the other space made me upset. I tried to sound casual as I asked, "So… you aren't sleeping here? Out here, I mean?"
He just shook his head once, his face returning to that impassive mask, and disappeared into the bedroom.
The click of the door sounded like a final gavel. I sighed and told myself I shouldn't be so greedy. He was letting me stay, and he was letting me into his world tomorrow so that should be enough. I stood up, pulled off my heavy sweater, and draped it over the back of the chair. The sofa was incredibly soft as usual so I curled up on my side, pulling a throw blanket over my shoulders, and closed my eyes.
I was drifting off, floating in that hazy space between awake and asleep, when I heard it. Quiet, measured footsteps. I didn't move, keeping my breathing shallow and even. I didn't want to spoil whatever was happening.
The sofa shifted. I felt a familiar weight settle into place behind me. A long arm reached over, draping lightly across my waist. The heat from his body radiated through my thin pyjamas, and the scent of him filled my senses.
I resisted the urge to smile like a complete idiot. Instead, I just shifted slightly, as if I were adjusting in my sleep, and leaned back into him. He was solid and all firm muscle, a lighthouse in the middle of a storm.
Blue might act all tough and heartless but he wasn't all that hard. Not with me anyways. I closed my eyes tighter, making a silent vow to myself. I would make sure to impress him with whatever tasks he gave me. I would show him that I was more than just a simple girl. I was going to be someone he could truly rely on.
I couldn't wait for tomorrow, I thought excitedly, as I finally dropped off the edge into a deep, dreamless sleep.