I’d never had my heart broken. Never cared enough about a girl to come close to letting her destroy me. I didn’t want to depend on anyone else other than Brock, Fynn, and Grayson. They were exceptions, and I had kept that rule my whole life until Mads.
Now she was a part of me—vital. She was as important as my heart. I didn’t know that I could live without her.
Groaning, I rolled over, getting a whiff of her shampoo that still clung to the pillow. I rubbed at my eyes, half contemplating going back to bed. Judging by the position of the sun, it was midday.
I made use of the bathroom and pulled on a pair of sweats. The kitchen smelled like coffee. A fresh pot was brewing, and I suspected it wasn’t the first or even the second one. Used mugs lined the counter. Not waiting for the machine to finish percolating, I grabbed what I hoped was a clean cup and poured it to the top. Taking it straight with no cream or sugar, I sat down at the table beside Fynn. He looked like he had drunk a pot or two himself. “Anything?” I asked.
He massaged his forehead, eyes bloodshot and droopy despite all the caffeine he’d inhaled. “Someone over there knows their shit. Or did. They have tight-ass security.” A frustrated sigh blew through his nostrils. “It’s going to take me longer than any of us want.” And he would beat himself up over it.
“Don’t stress. Why don’t you get some sleep? We have a big night ahead of us. We’ll worry about the cameras after. Grayson and I will take care of the ones in the girls’ dorm today.”
Speaking of girls, where are they?
Fynn read the expression on my face as my eyes searched the family room, finding it empty. The house was awfully quiet, Grayson and Brock nowhere about either. “They went to stock up on food. And before you ask, Mads went too.”
“Oh.”
“Did you apologize yet?”
Sipping my coffee, I shook my head. “I’m working on it.”
“Grayson and I both told you what would happen if you broke her heart.”
“How could I forget?” I dryly replied, but it had momentarily left my mind. I recalled one or both threatening to tie me naked to the top of Fynn’s Jeep, drive me through a carwash, and then run my ass over. Such violence.
But I would do the same if Brock hurt Josie. I understood their protectiveness, and yet, despite not agreeing with my methods, protecting Mads had been my only intent.
“Why don’t we focus on tonight so we can kiss and make up?” I advised over the brim of my mug.
Fynn snorted. “You’re delusional if you think it’ll be that easy with her.”
I flashed him a grin, falling back on my false sense of confidence. “I prefer optimistic.”
He snapped his laptop closed, blinking heavily. “You should probably get your head checked out, then.”
“Do you need me to do anything?”
“Everything for tonight is set,” Fynn assured me. “You nervous?”
I met his gaze unflinchingly. “No, impatient.”
He yawned. “Then I would use this time to write one fucking stellar apology, because you are going to have to grovel like you’ve never groveled before. I wouldn’t take you back.” His eyes were half closed by the time he finished, voice trailing off.
“Good thing we’re not dating,” I murmured, taking the coffee from Fynn and sending him to bed in the spare room.
While I waited for the others to return, I took a shower and screwed around in my room until the front door opened, the house suddenly filling with chatter. I bounded down the stairs into the kitchen, my gaze landing on Mads. She spared me nothing more than a fleeting look.
I deserved that.
The silent treatment and avoiding eye contact continued through the day. Grayson, Mads, and Ainsley made dinner. Nothing special, just a giant pot of spaghetti and french bread with garlic spread on it, as well as a salad. The girls had to have greens. I could have done without the veggies, but that wasn’t saying it wasn’t good. I didn’t know what Ainsley did to give it such flavor, but for once I ate the lettuce without complaining.
It had been too long since the eight of us sat around and had dinner. We needed a night without tension, a moment to forget what we’d uncovered and what the guys and I were going to do tonight.
I wanted more dinners like this, more nights without the looming darkness over our heads like a storm cloud about to burst. This was how college should be. Friendship with the people who were important at the forefront of our thoughts.
But as the night grew closer, so did the ticking clock.
Grayson and I had pulled four cameras from the girls’ dorm. My first inclination had been to smash them to dust, but he stopped me, and when he explained why, I grinned, loving his devious mind.