Page 42 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

The sound of my phone ringing rouses me awake the next morning, dragging me from the forgotten bliss of sleep and into a world that’s much too bright for my liking.

“Hmmm. Make it stop.”

I force my slitted eyes to crack open at the rasp and find a face that looks way too pretty first thing in the morning waiting to greet me.

Head on my chest with his brows scrunched together and the one that has the nick through it a little higher than the other.

Displeasure all over his face at the sound that’s waking me up more by the second and making me realize I have no hope of getting to it in my current predicament.

“Get off.” I give his shoulder a push. “You’re going to crush me.”

“Am not,” he groans, squeezing my middle. “My Ophelia.”

I roll my eyes, which takes a ridiculous amount of effort when I’ve just woken up and shove his shoulder a little more forcefully. “Up, Flynn, now.”

“Shhh.”

“Now.”

I pinch his arm, and he finally rolls off me with another groan.

Immediately collapsing into the bed beside me and leaving our legs still tangled up.

It at least gives me enough wiggle room to reach for the phone that’s ringing away on the edge of the bed, though.

I snatch it up to find Ollie’s name there and mutter a quick curse before answering.

“Hey.” I bring the phone to my ear, trying to keep the sleep from my voice. “What’s up?”

“Forget to set your alarm?”

His casual tone makes me naturally suspicious, and when Hayes’s hand lands on my hip, I’m left sucking down a gasp. “Uh.” I swallow quickly. “Uh, yeah, I guess I did.” I squint out the window, seeing the sunshine there. “How late am I? How long till the car gets here?”

“Oh, the car got here five minutes ago,” he answers cheerily. “I just figured you’d want to enjoy your morning in bed.”

“Oh, fuck.”

“Cause I figured that’s where my roommate had to be since he was missing this morning when I went to look for him.”

“Shit—” I push back the covers, sitting up quick enough to make my head spin. “I—”

“Along with your room key.”

“Fuck!”

“Hurry up, baby sister, wouldn’t want the car to leave without you.”

“Fu—”

He hangs up before I can curse him to oblivion, and I clench the phone in my hand instead of throwing it. “So dead!”

“What’s wrong?” The hand on my hip clenches, reminding me he’s there.

“Um.” I spare a look back, meeting his gaze and finding myself struck by how the unsettled sense I’ve been carrying around the past few months is gone now when I look at him.

“I…” My brows fall, and he lifts one in question, trailing his fingers up my side a bit and making me swallow nervously. “I–I have to go.”

Shit. Right.

I whip my head back around and immediately slide out of bed to make a run for the closet without looking back.

Head spinning as I grab the first pair of sweatpants I see and kick the door closed behind me.

Changing into them blindly in the dark while everything that happened last night pours back into my head.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I yank my shirt over my head and grab at my sweatshirts, tossing on the first one my fingers come across and not bothering with a bra considering that I’m about to be out of here.

Pretty much all my things are staying here over the summer except for the stuff I’ve already packed in my backpack.

So I shove the phone I’ve somehow managed to hold onto into the pocket of my hoodie before throwing the door open and walking quickly back into my room.

The sight of my backpack definitely not where I left it beside the now empty bed makes me turn until my eyes land on Hayes, where he’s standing by the door, hair a mess and yawning as he holds up the thing I’m searching for. “Here.”

“Goddammit.”

How the hell does he look so good this early?

His dimples flash, and I roll my eyes, already knowing where he’s going with it but the item on my desk for him that I catch sight of in my peripheral quickly brings me to a stop.

The carefully chosen things seem a little treacherous after last night, leaving me suddenly nervous at the idea of giving it to him.

“Freckles?”

I debate for a split second before rushing over to grab the package and clutching it tight to my chest while walking it back over to him. “Here.” Definitely not looking at him while shoving it unceremoniously into his chest. “Summer reading.”

His hands close around the leather-bound tomes prettily styled in gold, and I wait until I’m sure they’re secure before grabbing my backpack from him.

“What—”

“‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey.’” I lift my eyes back to him, and the happiness there has me shrugging. “War, love, epic journeys. You should be set.”

And it only takes a beat for his dimples to cut deep. “Freckles.”

“Shut up.” I roll my eyes in earnest while looping my arms through my backpack and pulling it into place. “I have to go.”

“Come here.” He snags the strap and pulls me forward, dipping his head to brush his lips against mine before I even realize what’s happening.

The sudden move has me gasping in surprise, and he takes full advantage this time.

Deepening the kiss as my eyes fall shut to slide his tongue against mine with a slow pass before biting down with a quick pull of my lower lip.

Lingering in my space long enough for a couple more soft passes that have us breathing the same air and me lifting up on my tiptoes just as he whispers, “You going to text me about these?”

I open my eyes to find his sparkling with something far too pleased and a grin pulling at his lips. “Stop that.” The laugh that escapes him passes across my lips before I drop back down, scowling up at him but wanting to make sure. “Text me…if anything happens, yeah?”

He pauses, grin falling a little before it kicks back up. “Of course, yeah.”

“All right.” I lift my hands to slide my thumbs under the straps of my bag, knowing I need to leave but not wanting to go now that it’s here. “I have to go.”

Not wanting to leave him.

“Right.” He nods, eyes starting to move rapidly over my face like he’s trying to memorize it. “You better do that then.”

“Right.”

“Right.”

“Right.” I grin, a giggle quickly bubbling past my lips that has me ducking my head, but his fingers come up to the bottom of my chin and lift it back his way.

“And, O?” The hazel lands on the blue with that sense of rightness as he dips his head once more, brushing his lips against mine and ordering me softly, “Don’t let the crown slip.”

I blink at him, breath hitching as we stare at each other, so many unsaid things still left—

My phone starts to ring again, and I pull back immediately, noticing how he glares down at my pocket. “Tell Ollie to chill out.”

“He’s not great at that.” I snort, pushing myself into motion and stepping around him no matter how much my feet want to drag. “I have to go.”

He reaches for the door, pulling it open for me with a quiet, “Let me know when you get home safe, okay?”

“Yeah.” I nod, sparing one more glance at him over my shoulder and grinning at the sight of him standing in my doorway with his black hair all a mess. “Later, Dimples.”

And then I turn back around without letting myself linger any longer over it all.

I have all summer for that.

I haul ass out of the dorm from there, figuring I’ll text Marley from the road, apologizing for my departure and any boys that might be lingering around if I need to.

Although I really hope he doesn’t because then I’m going to be playing twenty questions with her the whole ride home when I haven’t even really begun to process the whole thing myself.

At least nowhere close to the depth that it needs to be processed and analyzed at.

Because I know I’m not alone when it comes to overthinking.

I’m sweating by the time I make it to the front of the school, where the line of cars is waiting, and find the one that’s ours.

Seriously rethinking ever wearing sweats again and gasping through my apologies to the driver before collapsing into the seat across from Ollie when he pulls the door open for me.

I completely ignore my twin while dumping my backpack on the floor and closing my eyes to catch my breath.

Leaning my head back against the seat as the car starts to roll down the drive. Taking us home again.

“So.”

Ollie’s tight voice fills the car, and I crack an eye to look at him, lifting a brow when all I find is attitude there. “So.”

Because I’m just…tired of it.

“Really?” he scoffs, face hardening as his anger bursts like a bubble and floods the space. “You spend all night with my roommate, and that’s all I get?”

And I know it’s because he doesn’t understand it. Doesn’t understand why, out of everyone in the world, it had to be him. His roommate. His friend. Why I would draw a line in the sand between us because of a guy who fucked me over instead of siding with him.

I hardly understand it myself.

All I know is that somewhere in all the mostly fine it’s been, it became this.

“Really,” I sigh, feeling that spot in my chest that was just so happy start to twist with something else. “Leave it alone.”

Leave it alone, Ollie. Please leave it —

“Unbelievable,” he shakes his head with clear frustration. “The one thing I asked both of you not to do. You could have literally picked anyone else, and it wouldn’t have mattered what happened with them. Have you even figured shit out with him yet? Did you forgive him? What happens when—”

“And wouldn’t it be nice for me to be able to figure out my own feelings about it without having to consider yours for once?”

I want to snatch the words from the air as soon as they leave my lips, but it’s too late. They land in a wave of shock quickly followed by hurt and then anger on my twin’s face.

“I’m sorry.” My whisper is weak even to my own ears, and it has me sitting up with my heart jerking into a panic, scared that— “What’s that?”

I stare at the pretty bouquet of red roses sitting next to him in the seat, something about it bothering me instantly. Something off about the sprigs of greenery adorning it, and—

“I don’t know.” The tenseness in Ollie’s voice has me flicking my eyes back to him and finding our typical scowl there. “Figured one of your boyfriends threw it in here.” I stare at him and he rolls his eyes, picking up a thick white envelope. “There’s a card.”

It’s blank, though.

I frown. “Let me see.”

He passes the card over to me, and I drop my eyes to look it over, finding no sign of who sent it or who the intended recipient is.

The thing isn’t even sealed properly, with the back of the envelope just folded into it.

I pass my finger under the envelope to open it, breath hitching a split second later and yanking my hand back when it gives me a papercut.

It has me already scowling when I pull the card out, something falling to the floor as it comes loose, but I’m too busy staring at the note held within. Held captive by it.

Ophelia, Ophelia, with eyes so blue,

Oh, sweetheart, I think I’m going to have to keep you.

Ready or not—here comes round two.

I’ve been patient so far, but don’t think I haven’t missed you.

“What the fuck?”

Ollie’s angry voice crashes through the tumult in my head, and I jerk my eyes back up to him. Immediately noticing the horror on his face as he stares at something in his hand. Something square that kind of looks like a—

“Ophelia.” His eyes lift to mine, and he flips the picture around. “What is this?”

I blink at it.

The image that I know is me. Eyes closed with dirty hair and blood on my knees, looking like some wasted version of myself, but…he’s touching my hair.

Oh god.

I fell asleep. I must’ve—I fell asleep. Deep enough into sleep in that place. I fell asleep, and he touched my hair.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck—

“Ollie! Ollie!”

“Oh, sweetheart…”

“Every better part of me is already because of you.”

“Ophelia!”

I blink at Ollie and whisper the truth for myself. “I didn’t make it up.” I choke out, needing to hear it even as the world tries to close in. “It’s real.”

My eyes drop back down to the bouquet that has to be snakes now because of the visceral fear shooting through me, and I realize what it is. Rosemary.

Rosemary for remembrance.

Given by my namesake herself.

No take-backs.