Page 44 of Broken Dream (Steel Legends #3)

Chapter Forty-One

Angie

It’s been an hour since Jason came to my house, and I’ve been sitting on the floor on the other side of my front door, thinking about what to do. I should get to campus, but I can’t get myself to move.

He wants me to go away with him. To Switzerland. For God knows how long. Long enough for me to have to take a semester off school.

Aunt Melanie will disapprove, that’s for sure.

My whole family will.

But Jason’s right about one thing. I can come back. It’s not like I’m moving to Switzerland.

But…we haven’t even been on a date. All we’ve done is sleep together.

I laugh at that. There was no sleeping involved. And we’ve only done it in a bed once.

I rub at my forehead. Tillie scampers up to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, girl,” I say to her.

I can’t take Tillie overseas, either. I’d have to drive her out to the Western Slope, leave her with my family. I just adopted her. It would break my heart to leave her so soon.

But then there’s Jason.

The chemistry we share is undeniable. I’ve heard my own mom and dad talk about how they fell in love. My aunts, my uncles, my cousins, too. The Steels in particular tend to fall hard and fall fast.

Is that what’s happened to me?

Am I actually in love with Jason?

I can’t stop thinking about him. About the time we’ve shared together. About our first kiss in the anatomy lab, how he ravaged me in my own kitchen. And then back at school, with the cadavers silently watching.

And maybe I’m the only person who can support him in this endeavor. This surgery that means so much to him. A chance for him to return to his old life.

It’s only a few months. Brianna would not stop blabbering about how beautiful the UK was when she went with Jesse’s band.

I’ve never even left the continental U.S. The Steels aren’t typically big travelers, despite our wealth.

And away from the university, away from the judging eyes of our colleagues and peers, Jason and I could actually try being a couple.

In that moment, I know what my decision is.

I’m going to do it. I’m going to throw caution to the wind and see if this thing with Jason has any legs.

I run over to his house, pound on his door. “Jason. Jason!”

No answer.

His car isn’t in the driveway. He must have gone somewhere. Probably to campus.

I call his cell. It rings a few times and then goes straight to his voicemail.

Weird. After asking me to go to Switzerland with him, I would think he’d pick up pretty quickly to learn my answer.

Maybe he left his phone in his car or something.

I’ll drive over to the university. I have a class in an hour anyway, and I want to tell Jason in person that I’m going to go to Switzerland with him.

I dash back to my house, let Tillie out for a quick potty break, and then get in my car.

Once I’ve parked, I walk up to the building.

I see Jason’s car parked in the fire lane. I recognize it from the day he discovered we were neighbors.

Good. He’s here.

I run to his office, nearly knocking over a few students and professors on the way.

“Excuse me, sorry.”

I turn the corner to the hallway where his office is located.

Jason, my sweet Jason. The man of my dreams. The man I’m in love with. He’s going to be so happy to hear what I have to say.

And I run right into someone.

I fall back on my butt. For a second everything is blurry.

I rub my eyes and look at who I’ve run into.

Oh, no.

Sitting on the floor across from me, rubbing his forehead, is Ralph. A few pieces of paper are scattered around him.

Great. Just great.

He looks at me and scowls. “What the hell, Angie? Would it kill you to look where you’re going?”

I slowly get to my feet. “Sorry. Just excited, I guess.”

He furrows his brow. “Excited about what?”

I cross my arms. “Excited about something that is none of your damn business, Ralph. Just like most things in my personal life.”

His ears perk up at my words. “So you’re admitting it, then, that you’ve been fooling around with Dr. Lansing?”

I scoff. “Christ, Ralph. Do you know any other songs?”

He smirks. “That’s not a denial.”

“I’ve already denied your accusation countless times. I don’t need to do it further.”

“Whatever.” He gathers up the documents he dropped when we ran into each other and stuffs them into his pockets. He glances over his shoulder down the hall. “But you seem in an awful rush to get to his office.”

“As a matter of fact… I have an appointment with him. Office hours. About anatomy lab.”

He curls his lips into a grin. “I think you’re going to have to reschedule.”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure you, like everyone else, think that I’m a lost cause because my interest is in psychiatry. But I’m determined to prove you all?—”

He holds up a hand. “Save it. Be a psychiatrist if you want. Be a dentist, a chiropractor. Hell, go for your yoga certification. I don’t give a shit.”

I lift an eyebrow. “Then why did you make that nasty comment about rescheduling my appointment?”

He chuckles softly. “Because your precious Dr. Lansing isn’t in his office right now. He was escorted out about a half hour ago.”