Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
My throat closed up with tears as panic clawed at my throat with a vice like grip. I didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
Julian instantly turned me to face him. He cupped my face in his hands and brushed his thumbs over my cheek. “It’s me and you, remember?” he asked me softly. “He’ll never hurt you again, baby girl. I’ll fucking kill him if he comes near you again.”
“Again?” Vincent barked.
“Not now,” Julian snapped at him. He kept his eyes trained on mine. “Me and you,” he coaxed.
I closed my eyes, picturing him and I the night before, how he took care of me, how he touched me. My heart raced in my chest again, but that time, it was for an entirely different reason.
It was just the kind of effect Julian Markos had on me.
I slowly opened my eyes, letting my eyes meet his mesmerizing, blue eyes again. “There you go,” he praised. He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Finish packing,” he instructed. He looked at Vincent. “What books does she need for the next few days?”
Vincent moved over to my desk and grabbed all my books, notebooks, highlighters, etc. Without a word, he moved out of the room, probably to carry them down to Julian’s car. Once my bag was packed, Julian lifted it up and grabbed my hand in his.
Ignoring all the curious stares in the hallway, he led me down the hall and out of the dorm building. Once we were outside in front of the building, Vincent stepped in front of me. Julian let go of my hand to put my bag in the backseat. “I need to grab food for all of us,” my best friend told me. “Will you be okay with Julian if Desiree and I go grab some?”
I nodded. He looked over my shoulder at Julian for a moment before he looked back down at me. “I grew up with Julian,” he told me quietly. “I don’t know what it is or why, but Julian is protective of you. He just about ripped everyone’s heads off at practice a little while ago because you weren’t in class at all today. He was worried.” Vincent reached up and ran his hand over my wet, tangled hair. “He’ll take care of you, Meghan. For now, let him, okay?”
With that, he nodded once at Julian, grabbed his girlfriend’s hand in his, and walked off.
6
When I woke up the next morning, the house was quiet again, but there was a note on the nightstand next to me. I sat up and grabbed the note, letting my eyes run over Julian’s messy scrawl.
* * *
Gone to football practice. I know you normally dance today, but take a break. You need to let your skin heal.
Xoxo Julian
* * *
I was terrified to go back to the dance studio, so he didn’t have to worry about that. I had seen him at the dance studio. I had no urge to return back there today.
None of us had actually sat down and talked about what had happened to me the day before considering when Julian had gotten me in the frat house, I had gone straight up to the spare room and went to sleep. I had vaguely registered Julian slipping into the room with me a few hours later, but I had been too deep asleep to really care.
I got up and got dressed in a pair of leggings, my skin feeling a little bit better. I pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of socks, wanting to cover as much of myself as possible.
Desiree was downstairs sitting at the bar eating a bowl of cereal when I walked into the kitchen. She didn’t say anything to me, and for that, I was thankful. I didn’t want to talk.
I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter near the microwave and bit into it before I left the room.
I couldn’t not dance today. If I wanted some kind of normalcy and to not have my fears tear me apart, I had to keep myself occupied. Perfecting my dances was the best way for me to do that.
I pulled my phone out of the side of my leggings and walked outside onto the patio, finding one of the speakers the guys had outside. I plugged my phone into it and finished my apple, throwing the core into the trashcan. I pressed play on my playlist of the songs I was supposed to dance to.
And I lost myself in the music and the beat as I let my body lead me.
* * *
✶ ✶ ✶
* * *
Julian
* * *
I stepped into the house, surprised I didn’t see Meghan downstairs with Desiree. Instead, Desiree was just sitting on the couch by herself, watching some crime show on TV. “Where’s Meghan?” I asked her.