Chapter 145: Penny
When we machi
ach the later
I feel like I can breathe again.
hall of the
I don’t trust myself alone with Arber Hayes mymore, Not after last nigle
I in mot a cheater. Never have been, never will be. I’m loyal to a fault, actually, I don’t stray. I den Terass finns. I don’t mes in myself daydream about people who aren’t my boyfriend, because that’s where it starts, right? One late may thoug
I swallow hard, the cold air hiting at my cheeks as wer approach (
ence like a physical touch, like he’s got a hand on
It’s mexing with
m.head.
- İndge’s entrance. I feel his shadow keylde me, tall and steady, I feel the warteth of br
Because now everything he does feels intense, Sevail. Het. He pulled on a hoodie this morning, and I nearly melted into the floor beat the sight of his hands pushing through his messy dark hair, the way his fummanns Besed when he milled f his sleeves up. How he stretched his back, making his shoulders link even broader, mascles rippling under ink and scars.
So, yeah. I’m relieved when we finally push open the ledge door, and the hum of a dozen conversations and clinking plates greets in. I need a reset. I med to be reminded that other people esist. That I can be a normal prison and not a complete mess over one gun.
The lodge is warm, the fire crackling, and the smell of breakfast–eggs, bacon, and syrup fills the air. It’s bustling Plates being passed, forks strapon, people laughing and talking over each other.
“Go find a spot,” Asher says, nodding toward the long table where Max and some other guys are sitting. “I’ll make you a plate.
1 blink up at him, caught off guard by the way he says it so naturally. Like he just… takes care of me now
“O–okay,” I manage, slipping my gloves off and walking toward the table, finding Tyler at the for enl
“Morning,” I say as I approach, slipping into the seat beside him.
But something’s off. He’s sitting there with wet hair, freshly showered, and staring at his half–eaten toast like it personally offended him. Tyler never showers in the muming. Not unless he’s drenched in sweat.
“You okay?” I ask, leaning in a little
He jumps lightly, then forres a smile. “Uh, yeah.
- h. Surr. Just gotta go grab something from my room. Be right back.”
I watch, brów furrowed, as he pushes his chair back and heads toward the stairs, disappearing behind one of the doors up there.
Weind..
I sit back, following him for a moment, then notice Rebecca and Zoe huddled together near the fireplace, whispering and giggling, eyes flicking toward
Of course. They’re always laughing at something.
I exhale through my nose, not even close to ready to deal with them before I’ve had a single bite of breakfast, Instead, I make my way back to the table where Asher has already claimed a spot, two plates in frunt of him. He’s in the middle of a conversation with Max and another guy 1 vaguely recognize from
the football tram.
It’s strange seeing him actually talk to people. Like genuinely talk. I always think of Asher as a silent figure, all shadows and back in his chair, his broad shoulders relaxed, his face open as he listens to Max.
es, but he’s leaning
I take the seat beside him, and he reaches over, putting my chain a little closer without even looking at me. The automatic nature of the gesture makes my
heart stumble.
7/2
Chapter 145: Penny
-nah, man, I’m telling you, prou wouldn’t let a week.“ Mei
aher guy i himes in, grinning. “What makes you say
“Deo, you run and of berath withing
“iles,” the pry protests, gilmning. “I’ve been on the rowing team for a year?
“Yeah, and you quit after a month, Tim,”
1945, tolling his eyes. “I’m just saying, the bingle lan’t be everone. You gotta have a death with t
Ashen just give
smail, knowing smick, his fingers wrapped.
that had
“Not that bad, he says,”
‹,” Tim laughs, shaking his head. “Alright, then i fun the craziest place you’ve ever had to sleep”
Asher tak show sip of his coffee, eyes dotant for a second, like her’s silting through years of memories, deciding which one to share
“A tree in the Amazon, Asberts, taking a show up of his coffer. “It was the rainy season. Monkeys howling in the beaches, bugs coreling into my -clothes, and a jaguar stalking around the roots all night ”
Max’s jaw drops “What? No way.”
He just tilts his head, eyes sharp and a little too calm, “I could hear it breathing. Couldn’t see it, though. Dark as hell –
Tim look horrified. “You’re messing with us.”
Aaher takes another sip, unfazed. “Woke up to a spider the size of my hand on my leg. Shoved it off and kept climbing.”
Max’s mouth hangs open. “Bro, you’re actually unhinged ”
So, what else? Tim presses. “Ever sleep in a cave? A swamp? Like, where’s the worst place?”
Asher leans back, eyes flicking to me for a beat before he answers, “A wrecked cargo ship off the coast of Indonesia. Whole thing was sinking, water nung the hour I spent the night standing on a metal beam, hoping the tide wouldn’t come in too fast.”
Tim looks like he’s having a minor crisis. “Bro what the actual hell?
Max just shakes his head, laughing. “Man, you’re insane.”
I hide a smile behind my coffee cup
Yeah. He kind of is,
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