Page 89 of Whispers of Wisteria

“How doyoufeel?” I asked. “Honestly.”

Bianca had been fidgeting, and at my question, she froze. I didn’t need to clarify; I could tell by the deer-in-headlights look that she knew.

Her pale lips parted, and my pulse roared.

I expected denial, or even another ‘I’m fine.’ Although I always hoped for something different.

But she surprised me.

“Better than I did,” she replied. “Still not great. But I like it here.”

I held my breath.

I’d underestimated her. Sometimes, her strength surprised me. It would be easy to just give in to the instinct to protect what was mine.

Shewasmine, but she was alsoMu. That made her more.

My body felt lighter as I held my hand out for her. She moved to her knees, and our fingers touched. “I like it here too,” I told her.

I pulled her to her feet.

Her sharp breath echoed in my ears, and I was hyper-aware of her racing heartbeat and the way her pulse jumped under my fingers. The more we were around each other, the harder it was to ignore.

I thrived on these details—even the ones she tried to conceal.

“Do you want to get a late breakfast?” I asked instead. “I know a place close to here.”

“Okay,” she replied, confused.

I wasn’t about to explain.

14

Bianca POV

It’d beendays since Mr. Richards’s house, and I’d been trying to find ways to keep myself occupied while I waited for my first job with Ms. Protean.

There was less to do, though, as I stayed on campus during the day to make myself more readily available. If she needed me, I’d be there.

I totally wasn’t a loser with no life.

But after I grabbed my first coffee, the lingering wrongness continued to eat at me.

I needed a particular type of wisdom.

But I hadn’t returned to the secret library room since our disagreement about my mental faculties and chaperones. However, that was in the past. He’d probably forgotten all about it.

This time I didn’t stumble when I stepped into the room.

He was already there and looked up from a red leather-bound book as I arrived.

“Oh,” he said, disinterested. “I see you’ve gotten over your tantrum.”

My face exploded with heat. He did remember! How could he not? I’d been so focused on his audacity that I hadn’t even said goodbye.

“I—I would still come e-even if you weren’t here,” I told him. I had to get over this fear. He’d solemnly sworn not to kill me. There was no reason to fret.

“I—I came to—to doresearch,” I told him.