Chapter 0109

I almost spill my milk everywhere as I spin to look up at Kent.

“Shut up!” I whisper angrily, glancing back at the door. “They’ll hear you –“

“They?” Kent asks, raising an eyebrow and looking at Daniel’s door.

“Come on!” I hiss, throwing my shoulder against his side, trying to herd him towards my room, to get

him away from Daniel’s door before it opens and Daniel sees us both standing here.

Kent laughs a little at my wasted effort to get him to move – we both know I couldn’t budge him an inch

if he didn’t want to go – but after a moment he allows himself to be shepherded out of the hall and

through my open door, which I press my back against to close. I flinch as my lock clicks shut,

desperately hoping that Daniel and Jerome didn’t hear us.

“Well, Fay,” Kent’s voice says, and I look up to see him standing in the darkness of my room, hands in

his pockets, smirking at me. “I didn’t think you’d be so eager to get me alone in here –“

“Would you shut up,” I murmur, turning my head back to the door to listen, my milk and box of cookies

still clutched in my hands. “I don’t want Daniel to know I was listening.”

“Listening, is it?” Kent says, not bothering to lower his voice. “Looked like you were peeking –“

I give him a dirty glare, promising murder and torture and every horrible thing he can imagine if he

doesn’t shut his mouth right now. I can see the laugher cross his face but he puts his hands up,

complying with my demand for silence.

I hear Daniel’s movements, then. Hear him open his door, take a few steps outside. Silence, for a

moment, and then murmured voices. Then, someone passes by my door, and someone goes back into

Daniel’s room, shutting the door behind him.

When the hall goes quiet again, I release my breath.

“Okay,” I murmur. “I think…I think we’re safe.”

“You know, Fay,” Kent says evenly. “I don’t like it when there are people in my home whom I’m unaware

of. If Daniel is having midnight visitors…” He pauses here, looking at me curiously, allowing me to finish

the sentence for myself.

I hold his gaze and slowly shake my head. “You’re getting nothing from me, Kent,” I say slowly. “So

don’t even ask.”

He purses his lips then, cocking his head to the side, clearly curious. “And you’re not mad about it?” he

asks. “That Daniel is entertaining…someone? In his room? At night? While you…” he looks at the

contents of my hands for a moment, “…eat cookies alone?”

“Well, I’m not alone, am I,” I toss back at him, speaking before I think about the implications of my

words because I’m angry at him for his stupid pressing questions. “After all, you’re here, aren’t you?”

“Am I your midnight visitor, Fay?” Kent asks, his voice taking on a sensual note I’m not sure I’ve heard

before. “Is that what you want?”

Suddenly, I’m just…exhausted by it all.

It’s all just…too much.