Read Online Asylum by Madeleine Roux - Free Book Online Page B

with an unread email in his in-box. A nervous tingle shot up his back. He pressed his thumb over the new mail icon. The white background flashed up at him, and a subject line reading “RE: Patient 361—question about Thursday’s session” popped up for a second before it was suddenly replaced by the buzzing of a text message.
    Dan jumped in his seat, nearly dropping his cell.
    But it was just a text from Felix.
Hello, Dan. Hope evening with Abby is going well. I have plans in town and will be out late if you wish to use our room. Should return around ten.
    Damn his timing . When Dan went back to his in-box, the email had vanished, just like the other one. Even before he checked the Trash folder, he knew it wouldn’t be there. He was right.
    “Hello? Dan? Earth to Daniel?” Abby waved her hand in front of his face. “Is it from Jordan?”
    “Hey, hi, yes, sorry.” He put the phone away. “I mean no, not Jordan. Just Felix.” Dan tried to shrug it off, but it felt like his skin was on too tight. Any second now he would sweat through his shirt. But he couldn’t tell Abby. She looked so happy; this sort-of-date was actually going well. He didn’t want to spoil the mood. More to the point, he didn’t want her to laugh at him again.
    “So,” he said, drumming up a smile. “Care to share that ill-gotten cookie of yours?”

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
.....................................................................
    CHAPTER
N o  10 
    A ll in all, with Abby sipping that take-away espresso at his side and the stars just beginning to twinkle overhead, Dan was feeling pretty damn all right. They meandered back to campus at a leisurely pace while Abby told him the latest news from home—her parents had patched things up for now, her dad agreeing to work on a more creative personal project, even going so far as to ask Abby to design artwork for an online fund-raiser to cover the recording costs.
    “That’s good news,” he said, walking her up the path leading to Brookline. He was beginning to wonder if he should kiss her goodnight.
    No, no, slow, remember?… Mess this up and you lose her as a friend, too.
    Of course, if she offered, then all bets were off. They ambled through the entrance hall and over to the main staircase.
    “You should link me to that fund-raiser when it goes up. I’d love to contribute.”
    “Yeah, right.” Abby nudged him with her hip. “You don’t even know what his stuff sounds like.”
    “So? I’d love to buy something you did. And it obviously means a lot to you.” She stopped at the landing to her floor and turned to look him full in the face. That meant tipping her head back a little to adjust for their height difference. “That’s really … really … Thank you, Dan.”
    “No problem.”
    They turned the corner and found the hallway empty except for Jordan. Abby whispered, “Oh, crap .”
    “What?” Dan looked back and forth between them.
    “I usually meet Jordan after dinner to study. It totally slipped my mind.” Abby squeezed her coffee cup so tightly the Styrofoam creaked. “He’s going to be pissed.”
    Dan knew the two of them hung out plenty but he had no idea the study sessions were some kind of hard-and-fast ritual. They slowed down as they approached Jordan looming outside Abby’s door.
    “Oh, hello. Do you live here?” he asked.
    “Jordan, I’m so sorry.” Spreading her arms wide, Abby went in for a hug that Jordan nimbly sidestepped.
    “No, no, I’m fine. Really. Just break plans without letting me know, it’s cool.” He had a disposable cup like Abby’s in his right hand. As he sipped from it, she wrinkled her nose.
    “Jordan, is there liquor in that?”
    “No.”
    “Jordan . ”
    “Fine! Yes!” He pushed it under her nose. “You’re driving me to drink.”
    Abby reached for the cup, but Jordan backed up across the hall. He tilted it back and drank the rest of what was inside.
    Abby’s eyes flashed.