Chapter 101 WESTON

Chapter 101 WESTON
WESTON’S POV
Dedicated to ‘Strawberry Wine’ by Noah Kahan.
I stepped through the door of my dorm room at some minutes before 5pm and found Elliot in bed.
Along with his tall, gangly friend.
What was his name again?
I stood there, duffel in hand, jet lagged, and stared at their forms pressed together in the narrow bed for what felt like forever.
My mind was surprisingly blank.
They were both fully clothed—Elliot was barefoot but whatever, it wasn't like I had any right to be bothered about that. He could sleep naked in bed with whomever he wanted.
I didn’t really care.
But still, my feet refused to move me away from the foot of his bed.
Elliot was asleep on his side, curled slightly into himself, his lips parted just a little. His hair was ruffled and in disarray. Like someone had run their hands through it.
My gut tightened at the implication, and it felt like I was going to be sick.
I sucked in a deep breath and forced myself to walk away.
At my side of the room, I slammed my duffel down on my desk harder than was necessary, the sound echoed, too loud in the quiet room.
The gangly one was the first to jerk awake. He groaned softly, rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he sat up. His hair was tousled as well, but I told myself it could've just been from the sleep.
He glanced around, eyes squinted slightly, and jolted when his gaze landed on me.
“Oh shit.” He said under his breath. “You're here.”
I ignored him, zipping open my duffel to pull out a change of clothes. I could still smell Andrew’s study on my skin, and no amount of scrubbing could get it off.
Once I had my things, I stepped into the bathroom, ignoring what's his face's attempt to wake Elliot up. I locked the door behind me and stripped down to my boxers.
I hadn't seen my back since the night of the dinner, and I wasn't sure I was ready to.
I know Andrew hadn't broken skin, but the skin there felt tight, and it stung everything I pulled at it. Maybe I should've let Nadia put some ointment on it.
Tomorrow's practice was going suck if I went in like this.
Minutes later, I was exiting the bathroom smelling like vanilla shampoo and mint after using Elliot's shower gel. It wasn’t my usual, but for the first time in days, I'd gotten rid of the funk from Andrew's study.
The room was empty when I exited, so I hurried to put on a shirt while they were still gone.
I was pulling on some sweats when I heard the door open. Familiar footsteps echoed down the hallway, and then Elliot was stepping into the room.
He came to a stop, scanning me from head to toe, and I watched as his nose flared slightly, glancing in the direction of the bathroom.
He cocked a brow, but when he spoke, it wasn’t the question I was expecting.
“Did you get in trouble with your Dad?”
I froze, staring at him. The bruises on my back seemed to prickle with awareness. “Why're you asking? Did Maeve say something?”
“No.” He furrowed his brow. “Did you?”
“No.” I spat, tossing my old clothes in the corner hamper. “I should congratulate you though. Maeve told me you said yes to Andrew’s offer.”
Elliot blinked, taken aback. It almost seemed like he'd forgotten it, and my reminder had him flushing up to the roots of his hair.
“He was very convincing.” He muttered, dropping his gaze down to his feet.
“I'm sure.” I snorted, my irritation bubbling like acid in my gut. “His offer must've sounded like heaven to a lower middle class kid on a sports scholarship.”
Like I expected, he went as taut as a bow string. He dragged his gaze up to meet mine and he looked…hurt.
“What?”
I met his glare with one of my own. “Good luck being one of his little charity projects.”
“Where the fuck is this coming from?” He snapped, “Are you angry that I took the offer? I asked you if I should, and you told me you didn't care.”
“Yeah cuz I don't.” I snarled back, “I don't give a fuck what you both do with yourselves. Be his guinea pig for all I care, let him go as far as adopting you. I don't give a shit.”
“So why are you talking shit to me?” He asked, visibly agitated now.
“I'm only saying the truth.” My voice dropped, “And you better get used to it. That's what Andrew thinks of you.”
Elliot stuttered, his brows furrowing as he took me in from head to toe. And to my surprise, he took a step closer.
“What happened with him?” His voice went soft. “On the night of the dinner. Why didn't he let you come back with me?”
I flinched at the sudden show of empathy, and I took a step back, unable to withstand it.
I needed him to yell at me, call me an asshole, push me into a wall, just anything that wasn't this stupid look on his face.
That softness that made me break out into hives, it was like ants crawling over every inch of my skin. It made my chest tight, made it difficult to breathe.
“It's none of your business.” I growled, but the words came out breathless.
His expression pinched, and he bit down on his lip. “I was worried about you.”
“Right.” I scoffed, irritated again. “I'm sure you were really worried. That's why you were cuddled up with your boyfriend when I walked in.”
He winced like I'd physically hit him and finally took a step back. He sucked in a harsh breath, staring at me with a look I couldn't read.
After a moment, his shoulders dropped in defeat and he crossed to his desk on the other side of the room.
I watched, heart pounding, as he pulled open the lower drawer and picked something up.
“Madison handed this to me.” He said quietly, turning his palm over. The object glinted in the light, small and very familiar. It was Gabe's ring. And he'd put in another chain.
He met my gaze. “I figured you'd be missing it by now.”
The sight of it was a punch to the gut, and I swallowed, unable to speak. He set his jaw and closed the distance between us.
“I couldn't find your actual chain. So I got another one.” He glanced up at me from under his lashes. “Want me to put it on for you?”
I was speaking before I realized. “Yes.” I cleared my throat. “Please.”
He lifted to his toes to loop the chain around my neck. I bowed my head so he could reach better, shutting my eyes and breathing him in.
Too soon, he had it secured and pulled away.
“I wish you wouldn't push me away.” He said, too quiet, and before I could respond, he was out of the room, the door closing softly behind him.