Blue (The Spectrum Series: #3)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Oh my God." The words tumble out of my mouth in a rushed string, I think I'm losing my mind. I take a step back and he rushes out of the bed, crashing into her nearby study desk. Completely naked. From head to toe. "OH MY GOD!" I scream even louder and slap my palms against my face. I did not just see the president of Juilliard, the most prestigious conservatory school in America's, penis and nail-scratches on his hairy chest. I repeat the fallacy in my head over and over as I listen to the two odd couple curse at each other and the distinct sound of wet kissing. Is she serious right now?

"Riley!" I shriek.

"Okay, okay," she sighs.

When it becomes silent, I slowly pull my hands away. Riley is wearing an oversized school t-shirt and Mr. Grant is fixing his crooked tie. The clear buttons on his button down are misplaced, revealing a sliver of his stomach. I gulp and face my bed, wishing I could turn back time and knock before entering the room. But how could I have possibly seen this coming? She's with Connor and Mr. Grant is, well, he's the freaking president of the school. I think I'm going to vomit. I shudder when he clambers out of the room, holding one of his loafers, the other one on the wrong foot. I jump when the door clicks shut and gape at Riley, who is fisting the bottom of her shirt.

"Before, um, before you say anything." She fumbles the hurried words.

"You're having an affair with Mr. Grant," I gasp.

"No, he's not married, he's divorced," she defends.

"Same difference. He has an ex-wife, a son, a family. And he's the president of Juilliard –"

"Don't you think I know that?" she snaps in a raised voice and I snap my mouth closed. She inhales deeply and lets out a shaky breath. I lean against the wooden door and watch her clutch her braids as she sits on the edge her bed. Exhaustion and guilt and something deeper than both is clear in her voice as she says, "Listen, I know this is fucked up. He's a lot older than me and his job is important and I'm a student at the school he presides over... but that doesn't fucking matter because I love him."

"Love him?" My voice is soft, and I sit beside her. I look over at her glossy emerald eyes and pouty mouth. "How long have you two been together?"

"Since last year." She sniffles loudly. I get up and pluck a few tissues out of the box on my desk and hand it to her. She looks in my eyes and sheepishly takes them, muttering a small 'thank you.' I give her a smile and wait for her to continue as she wipes under her eyes. "I got a part-time job as his assistant of sorts. I'd file what needed filing and make appointments... We didn't get close until his ex-wife Catherine refused to let him see their son for an entire month. I was alone in the office consoling him one second and straddling his lap, kissing him, the next." She stops, and a lazy smile crosses her face at the memory. I offer a sort of half-smile.

"We figured to sneak around for a while, as a way to distract him from the pain, and it worked, until Catherine gave in and let him see their son. But we didn't stop seeing each other. We fell in love but if we're discovered..." She bites her lip and her eyes grow wide as she grabs my hand and her voice cracks as she whispers, "He'll lose his job and I'll lose my scholarship. My parents will stop supporting me and shut me out and – and." But she stops and bursts into tears against my chest before she can continue.

Warm tears making their way down my cheek at the tragic but sort of beautiful situation, I wrap my arms around her and comb my fingers through her hair. I pat her back and let her sob into my skin, clinging for a way out of a situation she can't help but fight for, because love makes her do it. I fight the urge to panic about Blue and I's recent exchange of those three special words and his promise for us to be more, official. If love can make you feel hopeless and torn apart by wolves, do I really want to risk losing myself in the process? When I think back to an hour earlier when I was in that gazebo with Blue and listening to him tell me he loves me and the way he held my face as his own tears mingling between our hungry mouths, I get my answer.