Page 61 of Steal My Breath (Elixir 1)

“The breakup is supposed to be in a couple of weeks anyway,” I told him.

His eyes widened.

I wiped my eyes, hurt, hurt, hurt. “Just move it up. Because I don’t want to talk to you right now, Ryan. I don’t want to saysomething I’ll regret. And I don’t want to not say something I wish I would’ve.”

99

Ryan

Chickens Come To Roost

There’d been at least ten hours of media training in my lineup but I had nothing to say to Kassie.

I held my breath, watching her dress disappear into the crowd. Kassie was gone. The shock settled into my system and left my blood pulsing. A new play had been passed on the field and I stood there, frozen in place.

I crossed back to the ceremony and scanned over the faces, not able to put a name to any of them. Donors, investors, administrators in football, none of them mattered to me. All of this shit was so fucking unimportant I couldn’t stay.

“Captain!”

Stunned, I glanced back to see Adam with a huge grin on his face.

“Hey, we’re going toGianna’s—where’s Kassie?”

“She’s—” I stopped myself, still shocked. “She’s gone.”

“When’s she coming back? We’re heading out in an hour. I need some time with my date.” He grinned, raising his eyebrows at me. “Kegel instructor at the gym.”

“She left,” I croaked.

“Who? What?”

“Kassie.”

“What?Leftwhere?”

I didn’t understand the rest of the questions he threw at me and I ignored him, passing through the crowd. I was looking for Kassie’s dark waves. At the counter, the dance floor, outside, somewhere, maybe sketching something.

Where isshe?

“Ryan,” Cleo interrupted me with a smug smile. “Contract is null and void.”

I stared at her, ears ringing. “What? What contract”

“The one with Kassie?” A grin played on her lips. “She asked to end it. Something about being tired of sneaking around?”

“She said she loves you, man.” Miles grinned too. “We’re happy for you.”

“And I am agenius.” Cleo smirked.

My mouth ran dry. “When did—when did she say that?”

“After Peter’s speech—I thought he was still Director of Student Affairs—Ryan?Ryan?”

I needed to find Kassie. I had to find her and apologize and explain and everything would be okay. But she wasn’t in the student center’s lobby, she wasn’t out on the stairs, she wasn’t in the parking lot. My heart thudded in my chest.

I fucked up.

Driving down the clogged streets of Marrs wasn’t an option. My car stalled between every other one, an endless line of traffic. At the earliest I could, I ditched the car in a no parking zone and made my way to her apartment complex. I’d pay the fines later.