Chapter 66 Garrett
Garrett
I got back to Crownwell that evening, mentally and emotionally exhausted.
I didn’t want to be alone, but I sure as hell didn’t want to be with Trisha either.
The charade could wait a day.
Sunday was for survival.
The first person I wanted to knock on the door of was obviously Aslan’s. But I couldn’t.
Not for a month.
If Olivia’s plan had any chance of working, we had to play along. Follow the rules. Act like nothing was happening until my next evaluation.
Which meant pretending.
Pretending I was fine.
Pretending I was with Trisha.
Pretending Aslan meant nothing.
So there was really only one person I could go to.
Aitor.
True, things between us were a little awkward right now. Mostly because I’d basically given him permission to be with the guy I couldn’t stop thinking about.
The plan required it.
If anyone ever questioned things, I could honestly say Aslan and I were both seeing other people. Perfect cover. Perfect story.
Perfect bullshit.
I texted Aitor.
No answer.
I texted again.
Nothing.
I went to his dorm.
Empty.
That was… odd.
I checked the music studio.
Also empty.
I texted him again like a goddamn needy stalker.
Still nothing.
So I called him.
And apparently, he had turned his phone off.
The audacity.
By that point, the cafeteria was my last option on a Sunday night.
When I walked in, Joe was behind the counter mixing something that looked violently pink.
He looked up and grinned.
“Hey! My family missed you at the party last night.”
Oh shit.
“I completely forgot,” I muttered, rubbing my face. “Sorry, man. I had a family thing, anyway.”
Joe shrugged easily. “No worries. Next year.”
I nodded, then casually asked, “You seen Aitor?”
Joe paused for a second.
“Not today.”
My stomach tightened.
“He was at the party last night, though,” Joe added. “With Aslan.”
Something in my shoulders went rigid.
Joe continued, unaware he was slowly detonating my nervous system.
“I had to let Narnia in. They were kinda…” He hesitated.
“Together,” I finished flatly. “Yeah. I know. I don’t care that you let him in.”
Joe studied me for a moment.
“They left together, too.”
Fantastic.
Right on cue, James walked in and headed straight for the milkshake machine.
“He didn’t come back last night,” James said casually when he heard the conversation. “I haven’t seen either of them today, so—”
“So what?” I cut him off sharper than I meant to. “No one gives a shit, James.”
James slowly raised an eyebrow.
The kind of eyebrow that said, oh really?
If I didn’t care about him as much as I did, I probably would’ve punched him in the face right then.
Instead, I turned and walked out.
My heart was racing.
Where the hell were they?
They had obviously spent the night together.
The plan suddenly didn’t feel so perfect anymore.
If anyone dared touch my lion…
My fucking lion—
I stopped walking.
Right.
This wasn’t about Aslan. Not right now. It couldn’t be.
But I also couldn’t lose my best friend.
I loved Aitor. I needed him tonight.
Where was he?
I called again.
This time his phone rang.
And rang.
Then finally—
“What is it?”
What is it?
“Where the fuck are you?” I snapped. “I’ve been looking everywhere. I need to talk to you.”
He didn’t say where he was.
Didn’t say who he was with.
Fucking traitor.
Then again…
I’d given him my blessing.
He must’ve heard something in my voice, because his tone changed.
The annoyed edge softened into something more familiar.
Concern.
“Alright,” he said after a pause. “I’ll come by later.”
An hour later, there was a knock on my door.
I opened it still trying to decide whether I needed to yell at him for fucking with my lion…
Or apologize for acting like a complete bipolar psycho.
I didn’t have to do either.
He walked in, took one look at my face—still pale, eyes probably still swollen from crying earlier—and pulled me into a hug without saying a word.
That was Aitor.
He sat on my bed, and I dropped down beside him, resting my head on his lap like I had a hundred times before.
For a while, we didn’t say anything.The silence was comfortable.
Eventually his hand slid into my hair.
He took a slow breath.
“Garr… I need to know the truth.”
Shit.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me seeing Aslan?”
I closed my eyes.
Tears slid down my temples into my hair.
I wasn’t okay with it at all. But I needed everyone to think I was.
They needed to believe I was dating. That Aslan was with someone. That none of this mattered.
And if he had to be with someone…
I’d rather it be Aitor.
The fewer people involved, the safer it was.
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
“No, I'm not,” I said.
The words came out before I could stop them.
What the hell?
“I mean… not tonight,” I muttered quickly. “But I will be tomorrow. I swear.”
I wiped my face roughly.
“Just stay with me tonight, okay?”
My voice cracked slightly.
“Please.”
Aitor didn’t hesitate.
“Of course, Garr. I’m here.”
He squeezed my shoulder gently.
“It’s okay.”
After a moment, he added quietly,
“Do you want me to stop seeing him?”
I stared at the ceiling.
“No.”
My throat tightened.
“Tomorrow you should be with him.”
The words felt like swallowing nails.
“Just… don’t let anyone hurt him.”
I swallowed again.
“Don’t let me hurt him.”
My voice barely came out.
“Because I always will.”
I fell asleep like that.
My head on Aitor’s chest, his arm around my shoulders, the quiet sound of violin music from one of his healing playlists drifting through the room. The soft notes filled the silence while we lay under the heavy blankets, and for a few hours my brain finally shut the hell up.
For a few hours, nothing hurt.
The next morning the alarm rang, sharp and unforgiving.
I opened my eyes and immediately knew I was alone.
Aitor had already left.
The room still smelled faintly like his soap and whatever organic shampoo he used, but the warmth beside me was gone.
Typical.
He always had been the responsible one.
I dragged myself out of bed and stood in front of the mirror, staring at my own reflection while I buttoned my shirt.
Game face.
Seeing Aslan—and keeping my self-restraint—took about half the energy I had for the entire day.
Thankfully, Trisha arrived right on time to steal the other half.
She bounced into the dining hall like a walking ray of sunshine, completely oblivious to the quiet war happening across the room. Within seconds she had claimed the seat on my lap like it belonged to her and started talking.
And talking.
And talking.
Apparently my parents had absolutely adored her during our dinner meeting Saturday. She happily retold the entire conversation as if I hadn’t been present when it happened.
Then she moved on to her cheerful plans for Thanksgiving.
And Christmas.
And the upcoming holidays.
Across the room, Aslan sat with his breakfast tray.
To anyone else, he probably looked fine.
Calm.
Quiet.
Normal.
But I knew better.
He looked lost. Sad in that quiet way he tried so hard to hide.
And I knew exactly why.
I was hurting him.
Trisha’s constant public displays of affection, combined with her enthusiastic storytelling, had definitely gotten to him. Which, technically, was good for the plan.
Good for my cover.
Terrible for him.
And where the hell was Aitor to protect him?
He finally appeared near the end of breakfast.
The moment he walked in, his eyes flicked across the room toward me. Just for a second.
Probably making sure I hadn’t changed my mind.
When he saw Trisha sitting comfortably on my lap with her arms wrapped around my neck, he gave the faintest nod and walked straight to Aslan’s table.
Then he leaned down and kissed him.
Right there.
In front of everyone.
The cafeteria went almost silent for a second.
A few people openly stared.
In one hand, I felt relief when my lion smiled.
Even if the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
A smile was still a smile.
But on the other hand…
It hurt.
Like a goddamn knife to the chest.
The rest of the day dragged on forever.
Between Trisha’s attempts to make out with me and Aitor’s very visible affection toward Aslan, the entire academy definitely got the memo.
And somewhere inside my completely shattered chest…
I was starting to get it too.