Page 11 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

“Always with the cursing at me.” He chuckles, air from the sound actually making its way to brush along my skin this time. “Come on, one word, same as me.”

I purse my lips, fighting the inevitable for a moment more before the absence of my own voice feeds the guilt enough to leave me breathing out, “Terrifying.” My stomach collapses under my hands as the air leaves me with the truth. “It was terrifying.”

“I bet,” he murmurs, bringing his fingers back up to start tracing down the bridge of my nose again. “Three days, right?”

“Yeah.” I close my eyes at the reminder, struggling with the reality of it for a split second as a dull pound goes through my head. Something about the way he’s tracing his fingers down either of my cheekbones now soothes me enough to add, “It felt like a lot longer, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“Didn’t sleep much.”

“Ah.” His fingers pause with the sound before starting up again. “I see.”

I don’t add anything then, and neither does he, both of us silent as he continues to softly trace the shape of my face. Letting myself start to drift off even knowing I should probably stop him so that people don’t get further ideas. Go back to my dorm, where I’ll be able to nap uninterrupted.

But I do neither of those things.

Instead, I pass out to the soft little brushes across my skin and the order that comes with them.

“Sleep, Freckles.”

Fucking wrecking ball.

“I’ve got you.”

“Baby sister.” The whispered greeting is punctuated by a tickle on my nose and a giggle that I recognize by now. “Need you to wake up for this.”

“Hmm.” I open my eyes, squinting instantly against the afternoon light and blinking a couple of times before finding Ollie crouched beside me with an unhappy look on his face. “What is it?”

“Really?” He snorts, moving his gaze to stare at my stomach pointedly.

I look down to see a hand resting atop mine and turn my head to find Hayes still lying beside me. Completely passed out now with his lips parted in sleep and his body scooted closer to mine than what I remember from before I fell asleep.

“Fuck,” I mumble, sitting up and tossing his hand from mine before shooting Ollie a guilty look. “Sorry.”

“No worries.” Ollie grins easily while stepping over me. “Just didn’t want you to be collateral damage.” He reaches down without missing a beat, promptly rolling Hayes right off the edge of the dock while shouting. “Baby sister!”

I frown up at him as the initial splash of water is followed by some sounds of flailing. “Was that really necessary?”

“Probably not.” He shrugs. “But it sure made me feel better.” Hayes pops up gasping, and Ollie’s entire face transforms as he points at him sternly. “You come to me if you want to touch her!”

“That sounded so wrong.”

I look over at Holden’s pained voice to find him cringing as he takes a seat on the dock not too far from me and can’t help the laugh that bubbles up.

“Not like that.” Ollie’s face screws up with disgust. “I just meant, like”— he waves his hands around uselessly—“for permission and propriety’s sake and—”

“You’re not making this any better.” I cut him off with a roll of my eyes. “Also, please note that it is not the 1950s.” Looking over to Marley, I let it go and yawn widely. “How long did I sleep for?”

“Not long.” She shakes her head, a shit-eating grin on her face and looking highly entertained. “Maybe thirty minutes. Evie and Kennedy just headed back, but I wanted to wait for the show.”

“Which brings me to my next order of business.” Ollie claps his hands together as Hayes lifts himself back up onto the dock. “Who here has noticed the progressively worse-looking bags under O’s eyes this week?”

My mouth pops open, and I stare at him for a split second before spitting out. “Don’t you dare, Oliver Fitzroy.”

“Uh, me?” Holden lifts his hand up.

Marley’s hand shoots up next as she chirps, “Me!”

I turn to scowl at Hayes as he takes a seat beside me, dripping water everywhere, but he just chuckles. “Sorry, Freckles.”

“Traitor,” I snap.

“Great.” Ollie gives everyone a nod. “Glad we’re all on the same page.”

“Oliver,” I start warningly, but he’s already bulldozing right over me.

“O has trouble sleeping sometimes, and it’s easier for her to get some rest when she’s with me.”

“No, I’m—”

“Fine, right?” He nods placatingly. “’Course you are.” His hand lifts like he’s about to freaking pat me on the head, and I quickly smack it away. “But just so we’re all good here, nobody cares if she occasionally spends the night in our dorm, right?”

“Nope,” Marley immediately chimes.

“Loving the team spirit, Davis.” Ollie gives her his most charming grin before looking at the guys. “Boys?”

“Totally fine,” Holden quickly offers. “She’s probably a better option for me to ask late-night homework questions than either of you.”

“Exactly!” Ollie tosses his hands up with a pleased expression. “A much better option, I agree.”

A beat passes during which I steadfastly avoid looking at Hayes before he rounds them out. “No complaints here.”

Ollie nods once. “Acceptable.”

“Dammit.” I drop my head into my hands. “I’m really fine, guys, but thanks.”

“You just fell asleep on a dock, Freckles, I beg to differ.”

My head snaps up, eyes already narrowed on him. “You did too.”

“That was more to do with the compa—”

“Okay!” Marley interrupts our bickering, and I look up to see her stepping in front of Ollie, who must have been on his way to push a certain someone into the lake again.

“Let’s get a picture to commemorate our first week before we get our girl some sleep, yeah?

” She holds up her phone. “Who’s got the longest arms? ”

“Me.” Ollie quickly reaches for it, Hayes momentarily forgotten in favor of his current fascination. “Quarterback.”

“Humble.” I snort at the same time as Marley chirps, “What’s that?”

Leaving him with a truly crestfallen expression as everyone sits down on the dock, and I end up with Hayes on one side and Ollie on the other. Marley and Holden take the end positions as Ollie holds up the phone, and we all fight to stay in the frame of the selfie.

“Smile, everyone!” Marley shouts, counting us down. “I expect this to be the first of many!”

But it’s not until later that night, after dinner with everyone, when I’m tucked into Ollie’s bed and staring at the picture Marley sent us that he finally brings it up.

“Be careful with him, O.”

I roll over on my side to face him, and he does the same, both of us mimicking the poses we’ve been using since we were babies climbing into each other’s cribs. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong…” he starts quietly. “I like the guy, a lot really—”

“Aw.” I reach over to pinch his cheek. “Does someone have a crush?”

“Stop it.” He bats my hand away. “Come on, I’m trying to talk to you here.”

The uncharacteristic seriousness has me quickly sobering. “All right, what is it?”

“I do like him,” he tries again. “But he’s also been in some trouble, and you’re my sister.”

“What do you mean?”

“He stole a car at the start of summer,” he sighs wearily. “That’s how he ended up here instead of at USC like he was supposed to. He stole some fancy car from his neighbors and took it street racing in LA, so his dad shipped him off here after making a hefty contribution to the school.”

“Oh.” My brows drop with the sound before I can stop them, and Ollie’s face turns unhappy.

“I don’t think he’s like a bad guy,” he hurries out. “I think he was just bored more than anything, and I do like him, but just—”

“Be careful.”

“Yeah, you’re my sister.”

“Okay,” I finish off quietly, reminding both him and myself. “It’s nothing, though…he just likes to tease me by flirting, and it’s entertaining, so I leave him be.”

He pauses, eyes searching mine in the darkness before giving voice to the doubt I can see there. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” I nod, reaching for his hand. “I’m sure.”

I give it a squeeze and close my eyes on the day, repeating the words to myself all the way through falling asleep until I’m seeing them in my dreams. Making sure that it seeps into my subconscious just how sure I am.

Because the thing is…Ollie gave up a lot to come here with me. He’d never say it. Never expect anything in return for it or be anywhere else.

But it doesn’t change the knowledge I have of that fact either.

So I wait until the next day when I’m hiding out in the library to look up a video on how to do my own tie. Not paying the least bit of attention to the disappointment in Hayes’s eyes when I show up with it already done on Monday.

Still accepting the tea he has waiting for me like it’s nothing.