Chapter 17
Henry's POV
Confusion wrecked my mind. I tried to make sense of everything, but the more I thought about it, the more lost I felt. Ethan always said he was my savior, but now here was Andrew, claiming he got hurt saving me from the bear—and he'd even shown me the scar.
"Are you okay?" Andrew's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I blinked and realized just how close he was to me. I tried to move away, but he held my hand, firm and warm.
"Why? And when did you get so close?" I asked, my voice tight.
"What do you mean, why?" he replied, looking at me, unblinking.
"I didn't say you could come closer." I tried to get up, but he tightened his grip.
As we went back and forth, we both heard a noise behind us—someone stumbling in the dark. It was Lena.
"What's up, Henry?" she called softly.
"I'm good. And you?" I replied, trying to sound normal. "Why are you here so late?"
"Just finishing up a lab project," she said, but her gaze drifted down to where Andrew was still holding my hand. I noticed it too, and a blush crept up my neck.
"Everything okay?" she asked, her tone gentle but curious.
"Yeah," I said quickly, glancing at Andrew. Through gritted teeth, I whispered, "Let go."
Andrew, still holding on, looked at Lena. "Who is she? Aren't you going to introduce us?" he said, his tone suddenly possessive. I couldn't believe him—one moment he's ashamed of being seen with me, the next he's acting like a clingy boyfriend.
Trying to pull my hand free, I shot him a glare. "Andrew, this is Lena. Lena, this is Andrew. Lena is Jenna's girlfriend, and Andrew is my roommate."
"Ohh," Lena said, offering a small smile. "Hi, Andrew."
Andrew finally let go with his left hand and reached out with his right, almost as if he'd just realized what he was doing. "Nice to meet you, Lena," he said.
She shook his hand, her eyes crinkling. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things, I hope," Andrew replied, forcing a laugh.
"A mixture," she said, smirking.
"That's good, then," he answered, returning the smile. He glanced down at our hands, still nearly touching.
Lena raised her eyebrows. "Seems like you two were having a moment. Did I interrupt?"
"Nope, don't worry about it. He's just being annoying," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Well, you see, I have no choice but to be annoying," Andrew interjected. "A certain someone won't speak to me or even look at me."
"And whose fault is that?" I shot back, not hiding my irritation.
"Mine. All mine," he said, sheepishly. "And I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again."
I looked at Lena, hoping for support, but she just held up her hands. "Don't look at me. I have no idea what happened or why you guys are out here. I'll leave you to sort out… whatever this is. Really, Lena? You're going to abandon me?"
She laughed and patted my shoulder. "You seem to have it all figured out. And I trust you to take care of yourself—with him. I'll see you tomorrow. I'll tell Jenna I saw you. Bye."
"Traitor," I muttered under my breath as she walked away.
Henry, Andrew called softly, and I turned to him. "Look, I know I messed up big time, but just give me a chance, please."
"Okay, fine," I said.
"Fine?"
"Yeah. Fine. Now let go."
"You're not just saying that to make me stop, are you?"
"Yeah," I said bluntly.
He hesitated. "Come on, just because you feel sorry for what you did doesn't mean I'm going to roll over and let you walk all over me again, okay? When you're ready to let everyone see you for who you are, then we'll talk. But for now, I'm not going back into your closet with you. I've been there, done that, and I'm not doing it again. The day you decide to come out—hopefully, I'll be there to welcome you. But until then, just let me be, okay?" I pried my hand away from his, and this time he let go.
I walked away, leaving him standing there. If he wasn't ready to accept who he was, then he shouldn't expect me to live in the shadows with him. I'd tried that before, and it was deeply exhausting. I wasn't doing it again. I knew it might have hurt him, but it was the truth. He needed to take that step for himself, alone. Only then would he feel true joy. I wanted to forgive him already, but I needed him to do this for us.
Andrew's POV
Henry's words hung over me like a dark cloud. He was right—I needed to figure out what was best for me. I couldn't keep hiding forever, acting like a coward and expecting him to join me in my hiding place, as if he was some kind of kept secret. I wasn't being fair to him, or to myself.
I wandered around campus, lost in thought, before finally making my way back to the dorm. I stood outside the door for a long time, gathering my courage, before pushing it open. Julian was still awake, glancing between Henry in his bed and me as I entered. I shook my head, and he sighed, understanding everything without saying a word.
I went to my bed and lay down, not even bothering to take off my clothes. The emotional exhaustion of the day hit me all at once, and I quickly fell into a deep, restless sleep.
Ethan's POV
It was almost morning. Glancing to my side, I saw Sam curled up naked beside me—part of my uncle's instructions for handling her family. Every moment she spent in my bed disgusted me, but soon enough, we'd be done with her family, and I'd make her pay for ever touching me.
The sound of my phone buzzing drew me out of my dark thoughts. It was a message—just a single name: Andrew Morgan. My blood ran cold. Another text followed: I'll get more later.
Rage burned through me. I wanted to hurt something—myself, someone, anyone—to ease the anger. The urge to strangle Sam right then and there was strong, but I managed to get a grip on myself. My uncle would literally kill me if I did anything stupid.
I slid out of the bed and headed for the bathroom, needing a cold shower before I did something I'd regret.