“Sounds like what happened to Katie last week,” Asher says. I look up at them, confused, as Sawyer nods. “We should report it to campus security.”
“Wait, this happened to someone else? Why don’t I know about it? Why doesn’t everyone know about it?” I ask incredulously.
“Katie didn’t want to tell anyone. She felt… foolish. We only know because she’s dating one of the guys on the team who told Cole,” Sawyer explains, and Dante nods, agreeing.
“Oh,” is all I say, because well, I get it. Entirely. Because I absolutely want to just forget this all ever happened. “Maybe she was right, maybe it’s just some stupid prank?”
Asher looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You don’t want us to say anything?”
I bite my lip and scratch between the puppy’s ears. “I mean, what if we say something and people don’t believe me? I drank alottonight. What if it was some stupid prank?”
“Then they shouldn’t have played it on you,” Sawyer growls. “Not on my girl. We’re telling campus security, Briar. What if it happens to someone else and it wasn’t a prank and you didn’t say something?”
I pick at the skin by my thumbnail, not looking up at him because I know he’s right, but it’s been ingrained in me from a young age that we do not snitch. Even when it’s really fucking bad.
“Briar?” Dante asks, and I look up at him, avoiding both of the twins' faces. “What doyouwant to do? This happened to you, and no one is going to force you to do anything.”
He glares at the twins before looking back to me.
I chew on the inside of my cheek as my anxiety ramps up to the point it feels like there are bubbles under my skin. I rub at my arms to try and get rid of the sensation. “I don’t want to say anything,” I say quietly. “But how about I sleep on it? I don’t have to decide right this second, right?”
“If that’s whatyouwant, Briar, then that’s what we do,” Dante says firmly. I have no idea when he became the guy in charge in this room, but neither of the twins have said anything.
Moments later, the door swings open and Travis and Cole enter the space, and the tension racks up again.
Travis pauses, taking in the scene before glaring at me. “What the fuck did she do now?”
* * *
“You going to be okay in here?” Asher asks as I walk out of his bathroom in nothing but a towel.
After Sawyer and Dante nearly flipped their shit at Travis being an asshole, Asher managed to calm everyone down and explain everything. It’s fairly obvious that Travis would think I was lying if my version of events wasn’t so similar to Katie’s, but he’s still skeptical of me.
I wish I knew why he bounces between hot and cold so much, but knowing the inner workings of the male mind has never exactly been my forte. Most men I’ve known were more monster than man and the few who weren’t monsters… well, they never stuck around.
Amid everything else going on, it was decided I would stay here. Dante is crashing on the couch because, apparently, he trusts Travis as much as I trust a fraying rope to swing me across a river. Then Sawyer and Asher played rock, paper, scissors to see whose room I ended up in. Sawyer lost. He’s been pouting ever since.
I realize Asher is still watching me as I stand still, dripping water onto the floor. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
It’s a lie, but being alone and afraid isn’t a new sensation for me.
“As long as you’re sure,” he says, eyeing me suspiciously. “I’ll bunk in with Sawyer for the night. If you need anything, he’s just across the hall.”
“You really don’t need to give up your room. I can sleep on the sofa, or you can just share the bed. I promise to keep my hands to myself,” I joke, motioning to the sofa opposite the bed because it's the only defense I have left at my disposal, all things considered.
“If you don’t want to be alone, I can stay.” He watches me closely as I wrap my arms around myself. “I got you a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. They’re going to be too big for you, but I figure they’re better than nothing.”
“Thank you,” I say quietly, trying to balance so as not to put pressure on my rolled ankle. I hobble over to the bed before I start toweling off my hair. There's nothing like a night of fear and panic to sober a girl up. Top it off with that shower, and well, I’m now frightfully sober and my usual wit and snark seem to have dried up along with the remnants of the tequila that was in my system.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” Asher says as he stands up from the sofa opposite the bed, but I shake my head.
“You’re fine. And honestly, the thought of being alone in another bedroom tonight really doesn’t appeal,” I say, before shimmying into the sweats and hoodie then removing the towel. “See, no privacy needed.”
He smiles at me, concern crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Let me take care of the towels, you climb into bed.”
He takes the towels and heads into the bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and decide to do as he said and climb into bed. Sighing as I sink into the marshmallow cloud of a mattress, I snuggle down, pulling the duvet up to my chin. I’m probably going to overheat like crazy, but screw it. Comfort is key right now, and being surrounded by the smells of fresh linens and all things Asher sweeps a settling calm through me.
There is something about him that feels like the safe harbor in a storm. Despite my initial reservations about him, there’s something that makes me feel relaxed. Safe. I could say the same thing for Sawyer, but it's a different kind of feeling. Sawyer is the playful one, the one who will fight any battle to save me from having to. Asher? He’s the guy who would stand at my side and cheer me on, knowing I could fight my own battles, but would step in if I needed him to.