“And?”
The sway of the light was gone, the duty teacher now moving to my hall. The Rebels and I were damn lucky they didn’t do nightly bed checks. How would we get anything done? My hands dropped as Journey flipped around, and it was the first time since she’d gotten back that I didn’t see blazing anger or fear on her features. My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach, and I rested my head against the cool window behind me.
“No one believed me.” She glanced away. “Except Tobias.”
My brows felt heavy. “No one at all? No one at the hospital believed you were attacked?”
She shook her head, her tiny jaw clenched tightly. I almost reached up and smoothed out the flickering muscles on her face. “They just kept dosing me whenever I’d scream that I didn’t belong there.” A tiny, sarcastic laugh floated out of her mouth. “Granted, most people that were there said they didn’t belong.”
Anguish like no other fell on my shoulders, and I unknowingly reached up and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. Journey peeked up at me slowly, and last spring, I would have known what was going through her head. I would have leaned in and kissed her by now, but too much had happened, and I was on unsteady feet. I didn’t know what she was thinking, what she’d been through, or how she must have felt locked away without anyone coming to get her. “If I had known you were there, I would have broken down every last door.”
Her eyes glossed over, and she took a step away. The moment was as icy as the window behind me, and I felt the chill in my bones. She was so far away, even as she stood a few inches in front of me. “It doesn't matter anymore.” Her back turned toward me, and she peeked out into the hall. My eyes dropped to her ass, and I closed them instantly. Damn it.
“Are you going to tell me where you were headed to at ten at night, dressed in all black?”
She lowered herself onto flat feet, coming back into our hiding spot. “Nowhere.”
I hummed, halting my hand as it reached out to snag her again. I put both hands in my pockets to keep myself on a short leash. “Are you forgetting that I’m the one who taught you to dress in dark clothing when sneaking around at night?”
Another sarcastic laugh left her. It was more of a scoff, really. “I haven’t forgotten anything you taught me, even when I wanted to.”
The question was right there, burning at the edge of my lips. What else did I teach you, baby? I knew the answer, but just as my fingers brushed over the piece of paper in my pocket, all thoughts of us touching in the dark vanished.
“You left too quickly the other night for me to show you this.”
Journey spun around quickly with temptation following closely behind. “Show me what?”
The paper crumpled slightly as I pulled it out of my deep pocket, trapping it between my two fingers. A sudden idea came to mind, and I was thankful that I was raised to be deviant when needed. The second Journey reached up to grab the paper, I pulled it back quickly and caught her glare. “Let me come with you wherever you’re going, and I’ll give it up.”
Her hands flew to her waist, and I had to grind my teeth to keep from smiling.
“Are you serious right now?”
I crowded her space, and it surprised her. Her hands dropped, and her head tipped upward, making her long hair fall behind her back. “Dead.” I was inches from her face. I couldn’t help it.She was like a magnet. I was drawn to her with every single breath I took. Mine. She was mine. She might not admit it, but she was mine, even if she pretended she wasn’t.
Her little growl rumbled against my chest. “Fine.” Then, she turned around with her hair whooshing between us. “But you better dress warm.”