Me neither. Until I’d woken up thinking about her. Maggie was here, and this was where I wanted to be. With her.

“You’re here,” I admitted. She needed to know how I felt. Even if I wasn’t sure exactly what that was just yet.

“West,” she said breathlessly, and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wish we had classes together.”

So did I. Next semester I’d make sure we did. I hated not getting to see her except at lunch and in the halls.

“You’re talking.” Brady’s voice startled us both.

Maggie’s eyes went wide as she stared up at me. She wasn’t turning to look at him. There was a panic in her green depths, and a protectiveness came over me. I moved her closer to me and slightly behind as I faced Brady.

“Not to you. Not to anyone else. So back off, and keep your mouth shut.” I held his gaze and let him read into that whatever the hell he wanted to. Because I wasn’t giving her up. Everyone needed to know she was mine now. Including Brady.

“What . . . but she doesn’t talk. If she can talk or is talking again, then—”

“Just to me, Brady. Get that. Just. To. Me.”

He moved his eyes to her, and I could see frustration there, but I also knew he was my best friend. I’d buried my dad yesterday. He had to give me some slack. For now. I knew we’d have to deal with him eventually.

He finally let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. But others are going to notice. I just did.”

Then he turned and left. Maggie didn’t move from where I had tucked her behind me.

He was right. If she weren’t careful, others would see her. How did I protect her from that? Not everyone would back down like Brady had.

Especially his parents.

We Gonna Let This Slide or What?

CHAPTER 35

MAGGIE

I could feel Brady watching me all morning. It was a reminder not to speak where I could be seen. But it made me wonder: What would happen if West wasn’t the only person I spoke to? Would this end? Would he feel as if he didn’t have a special part of me anymore?

“You must be fucking him now.” I recognized Raleigh’s voice even before turning around to face her. I had gone to the restroom to wash my hands before lunch.

I glanced up into the mirror to see her glaring back at me with hatred. “It’ll end when he’s over his grieving. He’s using you to get through this thing with his dad. You don’t talk, so he likes it. Now you’re fucking him. He must like his girls silent when he fucks them now.”

I dried my hands on a paper towel then headed for the door. I wasn’t going to stand there and take it.

“When he’s over this, when he isn’t hurting over his dad, he’ll come back to me. We have a thing. He loves me. He just couldn’t deal.”

I continued ignoring her, and opened the door.

“He used to tell me he loved me when he was fucking me. Said I made him feel incredible. Nothing would ever be that good. Bet he doesn’t tell you he loves you, does he?” she said as I walked out the door.

I was glad I hadn’t been facing her when she’d said that. Because then she’d have seen the answer on my face.

As wonderful as my time with West had been last night, he never told me he loved me. He didn’t say much at all. When it was over, he held me to him. I enjoyed being in his arms. The one tear he’d let fall was, I believed, him dealing with his grief.

But maybe it had been about more than that.

Maybe I had been a mistake.

“There you are.” West’s voice always made my heart rate pick up. And especially now, with me worrying that maybe he did love Raleigh, I was happy he was here.

I glanced over to see him walking toward me. A frown touched his face as he got closer. “What’s wrong?” he asked when he reached me.

His hand cupped my face. I loved when he did that. It made me feel safe. Like his large hands could protect me.

The restroom door opened behind me, and I felt him tense. Oh God, he still reacted to her. He had loved her. I hadn’t known he had loved her. The feeling of safety left me, and I shook my head in answer to his question while simultaneously moving away from her. Away from him. Away from my confused emotions.

“Did you do that? Is she upset because you said something to her?” West was angry. I turned to see him glaring at Raleigh much the same way she’d glared at me. His glare was just more intense. And frightening.

Raleigh shrugged and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder as if nothing had happened. “I’ve moved on, West. I don’t care who you do,” she snapped at him before strutting away. I knew she didn’t mean what she’d said, but she was a great actress.

“She said something to you,” he said, closing the distance between us again.

I shrugged. “Nothing much. She’s just . . . not over you.”

He slid his hand over my hip. “Whatever she said, don’t listen to her. She’s trying to hurt me, and she’s figured out that hurting you will hurt me. That’s all.”

I didn’t think he was right about that, but I wasn’t going to correct him. Instead I changed the subject.

“I thought you’d be eating by now,” I said.

He smirked, then bent his head to kiss my lips once. “Not without you.”

Oh. I didn’t know what to think about that. What were we now? Had last night really changed us?

He put his hand on my back. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”