Page 135 of Burn Bright

“Makes more sense. He was definitely taking jabs at him.”

“Which of my brothers were going at it?”

“Tom and Beckett.”

“Because of Leo?”

“Yep.”

He nods strongly like that checks out. He peeks at his phone into a deeper frown.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I’m just seeing if Guy Abernathy is stopping by. Beckett let me invite him to the afterparty.”

I go cold. “Guy Abernathy?” My jaw drops. “As in thepresidentof the Honors House?”

“The one you’ve been insta-stalking all semester, yeah that one,” Ben slides me a teasing smile.

My cheeks are hot. “You invited him?” I’m about to ask how he got his number, but this isBen. I wouldn’t be shocked if he had Patroclus on speed dial and every other Trojan War hero.

“Yeah, you said networking was a big deal to get in.”

So he invited him to Beckett and Charlie’s birthday outing at Pink Noir? The thoughtfulness nearly dampens the anxious anticipation surging through me. “And he said yes?” I ask, my pulse racing.

“He said yes,” Ben tells me. “But the bouncers cut off the line, so I’m just trying to make sure he’ll be let in if he shows late.”

Yes…yes. That’s a good idea. I try to waft my shirt, but the fabric of my crop top is too tight. Pit stains are likely. Thankfully it’s white. My phone buzzes at my hip. I unclip it, and all my nervous, excited energy plummets in a pit of despair.

“Fucking…no,” I growl.

Ben leans closer, placing a hand on the small of my back. He’s leading us to a darker, more secluded corner of the club near a metal trashcan. His towering concern should calm me, but this night is seriously taking a turn. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“The grad student who’s mentoring me with my research project just texted. And I need to go into the lab.”

He frowns. “Now? It’s midnight.”

I don’t know how to explain this without divulging the truth. I speak so quickly, I half-hope he can’t piece apart some of it. “I can’t access the clean room as an undergrad, so I rely on the grad student to pull the pregnant mice for me. She was supposed to pull one this afternoon, but she got busy and just did it now. I need the embryos to be exactly seventeen days in gestation. So I have to dissect tonight.”

His eyes go big. “Dissect?As in…?”

My heart hurts. “I’m killing the mouse, Friend.”

“The pregnant mouse,” he says without blinking.

“…yeah.”

I can’t read his expression. I’m not sure I want to. He says nothing else, and I think this might be too much for him to process.

Air is brittle in my lungs, but I manage to say, “I…I have to go. But I think I might be able to come back.” It’s not just for Guy Abernathy. I don’t want to bail on Ben or this night or his brothers, but mostly just Ben.

He nods slowly. “We’ll be here late-late. Four, maybe.”

I let out a breath. “Okay, I might be able to make it back.” I crane my neck to hold his gaze. “If you want me to come back, that is?” My chest tightens, dreading his response. I hate that I’ve hurt him, and by the pained look in his eyes, I know I have.

He nods even slower. “Yeah. I want you to come back, Friend.”

I repeat those words over and over in my head as he walks me out, hails me a cab, and makes sure I leave safely.