Page 10 of Broken Dream (Steel Legends #3)

Chapter Nine

Angie

I freeze, a wineglass in each hand.

Ralph?

He’s attractive, but I never gave him any signals.

His kiss is soft and sweet, but after today’s kiss from Jason…

It’ll take a lot more to get my attention.

I set down the wineglasses and push him away.

“What was that?” I demand.

“A kiss,” he says, grinning slightly. “You do enjoy kissing, don’t you?”

I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “I… Well, yeah. But…we’re here to study. To help each other. To eat pizza and…”

God, I’m babbling.

“Come on.” He furrows his brow. “You know you want it as much as I do.”

I cock my head, irritated. “Excuse me?”

He cocks his head, his gaze dark. “I don’t think I stuttered.”

I drop my gaze to his crotch, where his hardness is evident.

Oh, God…

“You like to kiss, Angie. I know you do. I saw you.”

I swallow. What the hell is he talking about? The only person I’ve kissed since I’ve been to medical school is?—

Oh, shit…

Did he see Jason kiss me?

“What the hell are you talking about?” I demand, willing my voice not to shake.

“Today, after lab. I forgot my iPad, and I went back to the room. I saw you. You and Dr. Lansing.”

I don’t reply. Just try to keep myself steady.

Ralph raises an eyebrow. “He could lose his job for that.”

How do I handle this? Do I admit it? That won’t do Jason or me any good at all. I hate lying, but?—

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but you’re mistaken.” I pick up one of the bottles of Steel Vineyards Ruby that he brought, uncork it, add the aerator, and pour a glass, hoping the trembling in my hands isn’t apparent.

“Really?” He narrows his gaze. “I’m not an idiot. You can’t deny what I saw.”

I take a sip from my glass, doing my best to steady my shaking hands. “Maybe you should consider getting your eyes checked.”

Ralph crosses his arms and lets out a low chuckle. “You’re a terrible liar, Angie.”

I swallow and set my glass down on the counter with more force than necessary, spilling a few drops of wine. “That’s irrelevant, Ralph. We’re all here to study, and that’s all.”

“I wonder what the dean of students would have to say if I told him what I saw?” Ralph says snidely.

“I’m sure he’d ask Dr. Lansing and me what actually happened, and we’d set the record straight.” I grit my teeth and look Ralph directly in the eyes. “Nothing happened.”

Ralph’s snide smile fades, replaced by a scowl. “You’re bluffing.”

“You think so?” I challenge.

I grew up with two older brothers and tons of male cousins. You either learn to stand up to them or get walked over. I may be quiet, but I’m no doormat.

Ralph seems taken aback by my defiance, but he doesn’t retreat. Instead, he keeps his arms crossed. “You’re lying,” he says after a pause. “I know what I saw.”

“And I know what didn’t happen,” I retort. “If you want to make baseless accusations, be my guest. But remember, Ralph, the truth always comes out in the end.”

He smirks. “I suppose it will.”

Just as the tension is about to strangle us both, Tabitha walks into the kitchen, leaving Eli in the living room. She stops in her tracks when she sees our standoff.

“What’s going on here?” she asks, frowning at Ralph.

“Nothing,” Ralph grumbles.

Tabitha’s eyes narrow as she studies Ralph, me, and then Ralph again. “I think it’s more than nothing,” she says. “You two look like you’re about to kick each other’s asses.”

“Maybe that’s because Angie here can’t admit the truth,” Ralph snaps.

“Ralph…” I begin, trying to keep my voice steady.

Tabitha interrupts me, though, turning her full attention to Ralph. “And what truth would that be?”

Ralph hesitates for a moment, eyeing me. I can almost see his mind struggling with whether or not to spill what he saw.

And he did see it.

I was there.

But I’m sticking to my story. I don’t want Jason to get into any kind of trouble.

“He thinks he saw something that he misinterpreted,” I say.

“And what would that be?” Tabitha asks.

I swallow hard. “It’s nothing. Really.”

“No, Angie,” Ralph counters. “It’s not nothing.”

Before Tabitha says anything more, Eli walks into the kitchen holding up his hands. “What’s going on in here?”

Before Ralph can respond, I cut in. “Let’s just drop it.” My voice is firm. “Can we just focus on why we’re actually here?”

Eli pours himself a glass of wine. “I second that motion. Pizza and textbooks are getting cold.”

Tabitha chuckles. “You can toss your books in the oven for a few minutes to warm them up.”

Ralph shoots me a final glare before grabbing a slice of pizza from the box on the counter. He heads for the living room without another word.

Tabitha watches him go, furrowing her brows before turning back to me with an unreadable look on her face. She doesn’t ask any more questions, though, thank God. Instead, she pours herself a glass of wine.

“Yeah, we’re here to study, not to stir up drama,” she says quietly.

I try to give her a grateful smile. We join Eli and Ralph in the living room.

Ralph is putting on his coat and gloves, his half-eaten slice of pizza on my coffee table. “Not much in the mood for studying anymore,” he says. “See you all in lab tomorrow.” He says nothing more before walking out the door.

His exit is followed by an awkward silence, which Eli thankfully breaks.

“What the fuck was that about?”

Tabitha shrugs. “Drama queen.”

I force a laugh. “Yeah. Drama queen.”

Tabitha presses her lips together. “He seems a little old to be acting that way. Hell, we’re too old to be acting that way.”

Eli scratches the side of his head. “Who knows. Everybody has a story.” He gazes out the window. “He was my ride, though.”

“So grab an Uber,” Tabitha says, shrugging again. “Are we going to study or not?”

“Fine.” Eli nods. “What’ll it be? Anatomy?” He looks at me. “Psychology?”

I ignore his smirk. Since when does an interest in psychology make you a pariah? Don’t they know the importance of mental health?

Of course Eli and Tabitha are both interested in surgery. I have no idea what path Ralph plans to pursue, and after tonight, I sure as hell don’t care.

“We cut tomorrow,” Tabitha says with a grin.

I hold back a groan.

But apparently the look on my face says it all.

“We dissected fetal pigs last semester,” Eli says. “What’s your problem, Ang?”

“Pigs aren’t human beings,” I say. “Plus, I love bacon as much as the next person.”

“These human beings are dead.” From Tabitha.

“Yeah, but they’re—they were —people.” I sigh. “I don’t expect you to understand. I grew up on a beef ranch. My family raises cattle, and I know they go to the slaughterhouse. But it’s all done humanely.”

“These people died humanely,” Eli says. “I doubt any of them were murdered. If they were, they wouldn’t be good cadaver material.”

“Eli…” Tabitha warns, but I shake my head.

“No, it’s fine.” I stand from the couch and head toward the kitchen, my appetite completely vanished. “I just think we should show some respect. These were people who had lives, loves, dreams. You make your jokes, but remember that someday it’ll be us on those tables.”

I’m echoing exactly what Jason said in class today.

I don’t feel any better about the whole thing, though.

I leave them in the living room. Too much has happened tonight, and all I want is to be alone. With a sigh, I wash my hands and pour another glass of wine.

The sound of footsteps makes me turn. Tabitha is in the kitchen, leaning against the island.

“You okay?” she asks softly.

I shrug. “Just a lot to take in.”

She walks over to me. “You don’t have to tell me anything, Angie, but something happened between you and Ralph in here. I’m not sure what, but it’s got you on edge.”

She’s not wrong.

And Jason made all the points today in lab about the bodies being a gift. That we should be respectful. I don’t know why I’m repeating them tonight.

I knew when I entered med school that I’d be dissecting human bodies. And I knew it would be difficult for me, but I chose this path anyway.

I force another smile. “I’m good. But I think I’m ready to call it a night if you guys don’t mind.”

Tabitha nods. “I totally get it. I can drive Eli home.”

“Then why’d you tell him to get an Uber?”

She shrugs. “Because I was hoping you and I could talk privately, but I see you’re not up for that.” She gives me a quick hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow in lab.”

She and Eli grab their coats and leave without any more than a goodbye.

I put the leftover pizza in the refrigerator and let Tillie in. She runs inside, sniffing the spots on the couch where Eli and Tabitha were sitting.

She knows someone new was here.

Just like Tabitha knows something. Or at least has an inkling that something is going on with me.

I like Tabitha, but I hardly know her.

Why did she want to talk to me in private?

If she also witnessed my kiss with Jason, he and I are both in big trouble.