18. Griffin

A s I approach Blair's bedroom door this morning, my palms are sweating. I have no idea why I'm so nervous about seeing her, but it's killing me. Usually, she is downstairs by now, waiting for me to be ready to go.

Knock. Knock.

No answer.

"Blair, are you about ready to go?" I call out to her through the door.

No answer.

"Blair," I call out again, and again, it goes unanswered. "I'm coming in."

Worry wraps around my throat as I slowly open her door, trying to prepare myself for anything. This is so unlike her. She has never once been late.

Any fear dissipates when I see her in bed, softly snoring, still fast asleep and curled up in her blankets. I should wake her right now before we're really late for class. But I can't. She looks so peaceful, and I can't look away.

She is so beautiful without even trying. With messy bedhead, no makeup, and drool dried on her cheek.

Her alarm sounds again, and I nearly jump out of my skin. She mindlessly turns it off and goes back to sleep.

"Hey, Blair," I whisper and approach her like I would a wild animal, with my hands slightly raised, ready to defend myself if she pounces. "Blair, wake up. We're going to be late."

Her eyes flutter open, and she blinks. Once. Twice. Three times. And she flies up in bed as her eyes bulge out of her head.

"Oh my God! What time is it?" she shouts and searches in the blanket for her phone, finding the time to be much later than she hoped. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

She throws the blankets off of her and slides out of bed, racing toward the wardrobe. Her dainty silk PJ set is all wrinkled from her deep sleep. She yanks out a sweatshirt and leggings before hooking her fingers in her shorts and tugging them down.

"Oh. Okay. Umm," I ramble and spin around to give her privacy as I fight the urge not to sneak a peek her way. "Tell me when you're decent."

"Okay," she says a moment later, and I take that as a signal that she is dressed and turn back around.

"Ready?" My jaw unhinges, and my eyes drop to her chest and the bare skin of her stomach.

Thankfully, she got the leggings on fast enough, or I would have become a puddle on the fucking floor .

"Griffin!" she squeals and yanks the sweatshirt over her head.

"Shit, sorry," I apologize, but don't move. "I thought your okay meant, like, Okay, I'm decent ."

"No!" she scolds me, laughing.

But I'm frozen, hypnotized by her beauty and her body. I know I saw her practically naked onstage, but that doesn't count because we didn't really know each other then. But now, it's different.

Now, I see how her lacy bra cups her breasts the way my hands are meant to. The way I want to trace every curve of her body with my tongue and memorize every moan and groan that I earn with my touch.

My dick twitches, and I gulp as she settles the sweatshirt down over her stomach.

"N-now, are you ready?" I ask her again, smirking as she looks up at me with glaring, squinted eyes.

"Yes," she says sassily, grabbing a pair of socks before rushing into her bathroom.

It dawns on me that I've never seen her wearing comfy clothes like this—well, aside from her PJs—and I fucking love it. I would love this outfit even more if it were my sweatshirt she was wearing.

"Give me, like, five minutes, and I'll be downstairs," she announces to me before shutting the door behind her.

"Okay, I'll be in the truck," I tell her, wanting to give her a few minutes of alone time before we leave. "I'll get your bag."

"Thanks," she calls out.

I sling her bag over my shoulder and head downstairs, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I descend the stairs .

As I head toward the door, I make a detour into the kitchen and grab a chocolate chip muffin, paper towel, and water.

When I get into my truck, I set her breakfast on the middle console and text Lumi to grab Blair a coffee because we are running late. I know she usually texts him in the morning if she wants one, and I don't know if she'll remember to this morning with all the chaos.

A minute later, Blair bursts through the front door and heads toward me. Her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and I find yet another way to appreciate her gorgeous face.

When she throws the passenger door open, she hops into the seat and immediately spots the muffin, eyeballing it with jealousy.

I push it in her direction as she closes the door. "It's yours."

She glances up at me with slightly wide eyes, and I wish she wouldn't be so shocked that I grabbed her breakfast. It's just a muffin and water. Nothing crazy.

"Thank you," she murmurs and studies me like I did to her this morning, hesitant, like you're face-to-face with a predator and unsure of how to act.

"You're welcome. Figured you were hungry," I admit coyly and pull forward, heading down the winding driveway.

"Starving actually. So, an extra thank-you is in order." She smiles, peels the paper away from the muffin, and takes a bite. "Mmmm. Oh my God. This is so good."

"I know," I admit and smirk as I feel her glare warm my face.

"Smart-ass." She giggles and does a little happy food dance that I've never seen before but will now strive to get every time I make her something.

The drive to class is uneventful, aside from Blair doing karaoke to some Taylor Swift songs. After we park, we find Lumi waiting underneath the gazebo decorated with green vines and flowers. I've never really noticed how much detail there is in this school, interior and exterior, until now. Is this the same place where we met Lumi before classes? It must be because that building right there is where we have English. I just don't remember this area being so beautiful.

"You got me a coffee?" Blair squeals with happiness and reaches for Lumi's outstretched hand. "You are a mind reader and a lifesaver. Seriously. I completely forgot."

"Well, it's not me you need to?—"

"Should we head inside?" I cut him off and make a cut-it-out gesture, lifting my hand to my neck and shaking it side to side.

Blair looks over at me with big eyes; her face flushes, and I bite down on my lip to stop smiling at how goddamn cute she is when she does that.

"Yeah," Lumi says, holding his elbow out for Blair, who takes it while still maintaining my gaze.

Slowly, she pulls her stare away from mine and strides forward with Lumi. I follow them inside, and we find our seats. A few minutes later, Malik joins us, sitting to my right.

"Hey, sweet cheeks. What's up?" Malik bumps my shoulders, and he settles into his seat .

"Not much. You?" I ask him, chuckling.

Sometimes, he lives in his own world, I swear.

"Nothing to report," he sighs heavily, and I feel like there's more to that than he's letting on.

Blair, checking her phone, grabs my attention, but right as I turn to look, she slams it down on the desk and huffs.

"What's wrong?" I lean over and whisper into her ear.

She shakes her head. "Nothing. It's fine."

Reaching over, I place my hand on top of her thigh. "It's not. It's okay if you don't want to tell me right now. But eventually, I would love to know what is pissing you off so much."

She nods but stays quiet.

"Good morning, class," Dr. Schrute addresses us, but I don't look away from Blair.

Her eyes well up with tears, and my jaw and fists clench. I want to hurt whatever or whoever is doing that to her. I'll kill them. I don't care who it is.

I squeeze her hand, and her shoulders relax slightly.

The silence in the room is ruined when everyone's laptops ding with notifications, including Blair's, which is open on her desk.

She rips her hand from mine and opens the email frantically.

Our classmates start looking around, stopping when they lay eyes on Blair, and I'm starting to feel really fucking uneasy.

Blair clicks on the email, and it's from the school's distribution account. Usually, we receive inclement weather notifications, class cancellations, event information, et cetera, from that email address.

But as the screen loads, I find none of the above.

Instead, it's a video taken of Blair onstage at The Fallen Petal, and the words the hockey team's favorite slut are written in the middle of the clip. Blair is dancing onstage, and the guys and I are sitting in the front row.

"Oh my God …" Blair whimpers, slams her laptop shut, and shoves it into her bag before jumping to her feet.

Laughter echoes through the room, and my anger reaches a whole new level.

"Blair, wait," I shout and take off after her, flying down the stairs.

I will ruin whoever did this. I won't just beat them to a pulp. I will destroy their goddamn fucking lives.

I stop at the bottom of the stairs and focus on the class for one second.

I meet their eyes, some smiling, some laughing, some horrified, but the second I open my mouth, their faces fall. "If you share it, if you talk about it, look at it, for fuck's sake, think about it, it will be the last thing that you do. I swear to God."

They nod, practically in unison, as fear finds its way into every one of their faces. Without another second lost on them, I chase after Blair.

"I want to be alone, Griffin!" Blair yells at me as I burst into the hallway, where even more onlookers stare at her, glancing back and forth from their phones.

"Mind your fucking business before I do it for you!" I snap at them, and everyone's heads whip the other way.

She slams to a halt and turns around, and the second I see her bloodshot, reddened eyes soaked with tears, I crumble to pieces. I want to fix this. I want to make it all go away for her. I want to take the pain and feel it for her. But I can't, and I don't know how to fix this. And the panic building in my chest is making me feel fucking helpless.

"Stop following me," she orders me with a cold tone as tears continue to pour down her cheeks. "Seriously, Griffin. I want to be alone!"

Rubbing my hand down my face, I look away, and my eyes land on the door to a private study room.

Grabbing Blair's hand, I pull her with me, and she willingly follows. Throwing the door open, I find it empty, and I couldn't be happier. Pulling her inside, I shut the door behind us. There are no windows, nothing to let anyone see inside of here. Just us.

"Let me out of here, Griffin." She crosses her arms and glares at me.

"No," I tell her, my heart twisting from the pain etched in her face.

"Then, you leave!" she spits out, crossing her arms.

She can push me away all she wants right now, but I don't care. I'm not leaving her. I, for one, know what it's like to lash out when you're angry.

Rushing over to her, I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my chest, blocking the world from reaching her. "I'm not leaving you, baby. You can try to push me away, but I'm not going anywhere. You want to cry? Cry. You want to hit something? Hit me. You want to scream? Let it out. But I will be here for all of it."

She's rigid, frozen solid, still as can be .

Tucking my head down onto hers, I pull her tighter against me, if that's even possible.

"I'm here, Blair. I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you. Never again. I will find out who did it, and I will make them pay," I promise her, meaning every word.

I turn slightly and kiss the side of her head, and something deep inside of her explodes.

Sobs heave from her, filling the room around us, and she cries unbearably into my chest. Her body softens, and she melts into me second by second until I'm the only one holding her up. She is falling apart in my hands, and I will carry her pieces until she's ready to put herself back together.

"I hate him," she cries out, and I rub her back.

Him?

No fucking way. Is it her ex? That Grant kid?

"It's okay. It will be okay," I assure her, cradling her head against my chest.

"Everyone saw it, Griffin. Everyone ," she whimpers.

Carefully, I pull her down to the ground with me. "Come here," I tell her.

She wraps her legs around my hips, and her arms tuck into her chest as I encase my arms around her and pull her as close to me as she can physically get.

"I know, but I will fix it. I will find a way, okay?" My voice cracks, and my throat tightens.

If I have to bribe every person on this campus to delete it and pretend they never saw it, I will. If I have to threaten every person for them to listen, then so be it. Regardless, they'll do it because if they don't, I'll break them into pieces.

She pulls away and looks up at me with a mix of fear and admiration. I brush away the wetness on her cheeks and push the hair out of her face.

"I'm so sorry he did that." I cup her face with my hands and finish wiping her tears away.

She nods slowly. "I'm sorry I ever dated him."

"Yeah, you have terrible taste in guys," I tell her, and she smiles up at me, making my heart jump.

She takes a long inhale before sighing. She's still uncontrollably gasping as her diaphragm spasms from crying, but at least she's breathing and trying to calm herself down.

I drop my hands to her sides, and we sit in silence as our breathing matches up, and I feel her start to unwind in my lap.

"Would it make you feel better if I let you host that dinner with Lumi that you wanted at my house?" I offer the one thing that I think will lift her mood.

Even if I absolutely hate the idea of having guests over, I'll make an exception if it makes her feel better.

Her lips tip up. "It wouldn't hurt anything. But why? You hated that idea."

Biting down my smile, I lean forward and kiss her forehead. "I know. But I'll do it for you."

"Really?" she asks, looking at me with hope.

I have no choice now. "Yes, the house is yours. I know Mrs. Potts will be excited to entertain."

She sits up even taller. "Don't worry; everyone will behave."

I roll my eyes. "That's impossible. You never behave. "

She scoffs and jabs a finger into my chest. "Hey! I do too!"

Licking my lips, I smile. "I know you do, my perfect little prisoner."

She glares playfully at me.

"Let's get out of here for the day, huh?" I ask her, holding her stare.

Her eyes widen for a split second as I watch the sadness creep back in for a moment before she nods. "One day of skipping classes will be okay, I suppose."

"You're such a rebel," I tease her.

She pulls her arms out from between us and throws them around me.

Stunned, I freeze as she cradles her head into my neck and whispers, "Thank you."

Kissing her cheek, I say, "Don't thank me for that. There isn't a single other place in the world I would rather be than right here with you."

She presses her lips against the tender skin on my neck, and my heart jolts in response.

She giggles against me before pulling away, and she slowly gets to her feet with the brightest red color on her face, a redness that is not from crying.

Huffing, she lowers her shoulders with her chin raised before opening the door. "After you." She gestures.

I follow her instruction, stepping through the threshold and finding Lumi typing frantically on his phone in the hallway. He looks up, seeing us, and instantly relaxes.

As Blair walks out and steps beside me, she does something that surprises me. She slides her hand around mine, interlocking our fingers together. I don't know if she needs it for extra support right now or if she simply wants to hold my hand. Either way, I don't care as long as she doesn't let go.