“Get dressed,” said Corey. “We’re having breakfast and leaving.”
“We? You mean you guys?”
“You’re coming with us.”
I became alert at once. “Where do you want to take me?”
“We’ll take you to a place where you can study for your exams in peace,” said Caleb. “It’s not safe to be walking around on your own. Last night was proof enough.”
“I can’t just leave. I’ve got attendance to maintain until the professors voluntarily end lectures. There’s my job too. And, there’s—”
I stopped short when both Caleb and Corey put up their hands.
“We’ll take care of your attendance,” said Caleb. “As for your job, take a leave. Your safety’s more important than the chump change you make there.”
My face flushed with anger at once.
Corey chuckled. “We’re doing this for you,” he said, kissing my cheek. “You’ll have the place all to yourself with amazing Wi-Fi.”
“I don’t want to go. It’s better to stay here and study than staying in a place with Noah.” I gazed at them, wondering why they even cared. “Thanks for rescuing me last night. I’d be lying if I said I could take care of myself.”
A cold shudder ran through me at the memory of being cornered at a deserted spot in the campus. I didn’t want to go through that again but it’d be impossible to live in the same house as Noah.
“Noah won’t be there,” said Corey, flashing me a bright grin. “We’ll be there to protect you but Noah won’t know a thing.”
I blinked. “Really? Noah won’t be there?”
“Nope,” said Caleb, buttoning up his shirt. “We’re taking you to a house by the lake. It’ll be just us there.”
“How do I know you’re not lying? How do I know you won’t lock me up and leave me there to rot?”
Corey and Caleb glanced at each other.
I watched them warily.
They both sighed, their faces turning identically grim.
“What’s the point in letting you rot?” Caleb asked, shifting closer to me. He played with a loose auburn strand and slowly wrapped it around his finger. “We’d rather do this.” Leaning in, he captured my lips in a soft kiss.
I gazed up at him, acutely feeling Corey’s fingers tracing a pattern on the skin of my thigh.
“How do I believe you?” I asked in a small voice.
“We protected you yesterday, didn’t we?” said Caleb in a grim tone. The intensity in his green eyes made my heart race. “If we didn’t care about you, we’d have let those guys continue.”
He was right. They didn’t have to interfere last night.
“What if you bring Noah?” I asked.
“We won’t. It’s okay if you don’t trust us yet,” said Corey. “Let us prove ourselves to you.” His lips touched the back of my neck, causing a shiver to run through me. “We want you all to ourselves.”
“What about my mom?”
“That’s something to worry about in the future,” said Caleb. “Both Dad and your mom are away for the moment.”
Their offer sounded amazingly tempting. I’d love to have a place like a cabin to study during the week before the exams. Also, I didn’t want to endure another day at school. I was tired of being strong and brave.
“All right, then,” I said after a while. “I’ll trust you this one time.”