d out, and fingered the lapel on her APH blazer, rubbing the fabric between his fingertips. Ariana suddenly found herself breathless. “I think that tonight you should meet up with me. Because I . . . will show you a good time. Unlike some people.”
Ariana glanced toward the heavy wooden doors that separated her and Jasper from the dozens of people in the dining hall. If that door opened, someone would see. Someone would catch her and Jasper standing so close together their breath was mingling. And just like that, her relationship with Palmer would be over.
For one terrifying moment, a piece of her actually wished it would just happen. Wished the doors would open and the end result would be out of her hands.
And the fact that she wished it would happen—the fact that she wished, in that moment, for a lack of control—was what scared her. Jasper brought that out in her. Just as Thomas had. She couldn’t do that to herself again. And she couldn’t do it to Palmer either.
“I can’t,” she said, taking a step backward. “I have a study date with Palmer.”
Jasper’s face fell ever so briefly, and then he smiled. “Okay,” he said. “If that’s how you really want to spend your time. But just so you know, I don’t have a date with anyone. And if you want me, I’ll be waiting.”
Ariana knew that she had to keep an eye on Lexa, but she drew the line at inviting her along on her study date with Palmer. A foursome had been fine, but a threesome would be nothing but awkward. Which meant there was only one thing for her to do.
She needed to find a babysitter.
Which was why she left her government class five minutes early, had Quinn meet her with a latte and a coffee with sugar, and positioned herself outside Conrad’s calculus classroom two seconds before the bell rang. Lexa seemed to be herself around Conrad, for the most part, as long as they were one on one and not surrounded by a crowd. Ariana wasn’t sure if Conrad’s presence calmed the girl or if she was working hard to impress him, but it didn’t matter. She knew she would feel safe if Lexa spent the night alone with her boyfriend.
“Hey, Connie!”
Ariana stepped forward the moment his broad shoulders filled the doorway. He paused and gave her a confused smile. “Hey, Ana. What’re you doing here?”
“I left class early for a caffeine fix because I was falling asleep, but the guy at the Hill gave me the wrong cup and I had to reorder,” Ariana lied smoothly. “He was going to dump it out, but then I remembered you like black coffee with light sugar, right?”
She held the cup out to him with a beatific smile.
“Wow,” he said, accepting it. “Good memory. Thanks.”
Ariana lifted a shoulder and kept her eyes on him as she sipped her latte. “I pay attention to details.”
The rest of the class was parting around the two of them as they stood right in front of the door. Ariana caught a couple of curious glances from April and Christian, but they kept walking.
“So, got any plans for tonight?” Ariana asked. She turned and started slowly down the hallway, and Connie fell into step with her.
“Not really,” Connie said with a shrug. “Probably just studying. Why?”
“Oh, nothing, it’s just . . . I think Lexa could use some quality boyfriend time,” Ariana said. “If you’re not doing anything, maybe you guys could go out.”
Conrad paused at the top of the stairs, stepping aside to let a couple of teachers pass them by.
“Did she say something to you?” Conrad asked, taking a sip of his coffee.
“No, just . . . like I said, I pay attention to details,” Ariana replied. “She’s been down lately, and I just know that being with you makes her happy.”
Conrad’s face broke out in a grin that could have stopped traffic. “It does?”
“Of course. She really likes you, Conrad,” Ariana assured him. “And I think you’ve been really good through everything that’s been going on with her. Clearly you’re a stand-up guy.”
Taking a sip of his coffee, Conrad seemed to mull all of this over. “Well, I wouldn’t want to lose my reputation as a stand-up guy,” he said finally. He gave her a light tap on the arm, which almost knocked her over. “Thanks, Ana. I’ll take her out tonight.”
“Cool. Have fun!” Ariana called after him as he descended the stairs.
He lifted his coffee by way of a good-bye, then disappeared out the front door. Ariana smiled to herself over a job well done. Babysitter acquired. And all for the small price of a cup of coffee.
“Okay, here’s an easy one,” Palmer whispered, leaning toward Ariana across the corner of the table they shared in the library that night. “Which amendment started prohibition and which amendment ended it?”
Ariana stared across the packed library study section at the glowing green exit sign above the door. When Jasper had said he’d be waiting, did he mean in general, like waiting for her to break up with Palmer, or did he really mean he’d be waiting for her tonight? Was he back at Privilege House right now, actually, physically waiting for her?
“Ana?”