end of the night, he just dropped me back at the dorms with a little kiss. Nothing crazy, he didn’t even ask me to go back to his place—although I would have if he had.”
“The guy knew what he was doing, Caelyn. He was grooming you.”
“Grooming me?”
Elijah’s eyes turned hard and flinty. She could tell he wasn’t angry with her, though. But she could feel his rage, could feel the tension coming off him in waves as he sat there, looking into the distance. “This is a pattern that he set up, and he was just playing out the script with you. I’m sorry to say it, but there’s no way this is the first time he did this to a girl.”
That put things in a new light. But Caelyn didn’t know what to make of Elijah’s theory, or what she would do if it was true. All she knew was what had happened to her.
“Anyway, we had a few more dates. Each time, he took me somewhere nice, treated me wonderfully, was a total gentleman.”
“And then?”
“And then it changed. I wasn’t even supposed to have a date with him last night,”
she said, remembering how she’d been planning on staying in and studying. “But then, at like nine o’clock, I get a text from Jayson asking me if I want to come over his apartment.
I hadn’t even been there yet. At the time, I thought it was pretty strange. He’d said he was going to a party with some of his friends from the debate team—“
“Debate team?” Elijah scoffed. He seemed to catch himself. “Forget I said anything.”
She glared at him, but she wasn’t really mad. It almost made her smile, how Elijah could so easily let his prejudice against rich kids get to him.
He was still rubbing her back as she spoke, and their hips were touching. She knew that it should bother her, but it didn’t. Somehow, his closeness was actually helping her feel safe enough to tell the story.
“I wasn’t expecting to hear from him or see him,” she continued. “We hadn’t gotten that serious yet. So when he texted me, I almost—almost said no.” She closed her eyes tightly. “God, I wish I’d listened to my instinct.”
Elijah was watching her intently. “It’s not your fault,” he said.
It might have been cliché, Caelyn thought, but the conviction in his voice made it feel real and truthful.
“You’re right,” she said. “But I still wish I’d listened to myself.” She took a deep breath and let it out. Now she was getting to the scary part, and her stomach was getting tight, burning a little as she geared up to remember the worst. “Obviously, I said yes. I got dressed up in my very cutest, sexiest outfit and I went to his apartment. I don’t know what I was expecting. I was ready to hook up with him,” she said. “But I don’t think I had any intention of going all the way. I mean, he was only the second person I slept with—”
“You didn’t sleep with him,” Elijah interrupted. “He assaulted you.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.” She wiped at her eyes. “Anyway, when I got inside his apartment, I was surprised by how it looked. It was a nice, big place, off-campus. But it was messy. There were beer bottles and beer cans all over the place, a pizza box open on the coffee table in the living room. It kind of smelled.”
Elijah laughed at that. “Figures.”
“Jayson asked me if I wanted to hang out and watch a movie. I said sure, even though little alarm bells had started going off in my head. They were distant alarm bells, but something just felt—off. I could tell he’d been drinking, for one thing. He smelled like beer, and his hair was kind of messed up.” She thought about it. “But it was more than that. His whole vibe was just wrong. He was looking at me differently—looking at me like I was his prey or something.”
Elijah’s jaw was flexing again, which she knew was something he did when he was getting upset. It touched her a little that he was so worked up on account of her.
“You don’t have to tell me it all if
“The guy knew what he was doing, Caelyn. He was grooming you.”
“Grooming me?”
Elijah’s eyes turned hard and flinty. She could tell he wasn’t angry with her, though. But she could feel his rage, could feel the tension coming off him in waves as he sat there, looking into the distance. “This is a pattern that he set up, and he was just playing out the script with you. I’m sorry to say it, but there’s no way this is the first time he did this to a girl.”
That put things in a new light. But Caelyn didn’t know what to make of Elijah’s theory, or what she would do if it was true. All she knew was what had happened to her.
“Anyway, we had a few more dates. Each time, he took me somewhere nice, treated me wonderfully, was a total gentleman.”
“And then?”
“And then it changed. I wasn’t even supposed to have a date with him last night,”
she said, remembering how she’d been planning on staying in and studying. “But then, at like nine o’clock, I get a text from Jayson asking me if I want to come over his apartment.
I hadn’t even been there yet. At the time, I thought it was pretty strange. He’d said he was going to a party with some of his friends from the debate team—“
“Debate team?” Elijah scoffed. He seemed to catch himself. “Forget I said anything.”
She glared at him, but she wasn’t really mad. It almost made her smile, how Elijah could so easily let his prejudice against rich kids get to him.
He was still rubbing her back as she spoke, and their hips were touching. She knew that it should bother her, but it didn’t. Somehow, his closeness was actually helping her feel safe enough to tell the story.
“I wasn’t expecting to hear from him or see him,” she continued. “We hadn’t gotten that serious yet. So when he texted me, I almost—almost said no.” She closed her eyes tightly. “God, I wish I’d listened to my instinct.”
Elijah was watching her intently. “It’s not your fault,” he said.
It might have been cliché, Caelyn thought, but the conviction in his voice made it feel real and truthful.
“You’re right,” she said. “But I still wish I’d listened to myself.” She took a deep breath and let it out. Now she was getting to the scary part, and her stomach was getting tight, burning a little as she geared up to remember the worst. “Obviously, I said yes. I got dressed up in my very cutest, sexiest outfit and I went to his apartment. I don’t know what I was expecting. I was ready to hook up with him,” she said. “But I don’t think I had any intention of going all the way. I mean, he was only the second person I slept with—”
“You didn’t sleep with him,” Elijah interrupted. “He assaulted you.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.” She wiped at her eyes. “Anyway, when I got inside his apartment, I was surprised by how it looked. It was a nice, big place, off-campus. But it was messy. There were beer bottles and beer cans all over the place, a pizza box open on the coffee table in the living room. It kind of smelled.”
Elijah laughed at that. “Figures.”
“Jayson asked me if I wanted to hang out and watch a movie. I said sure, even though little alarm bells had started going off in my head. They were distant alarm bells, but something just felt—off. I could tell he’d been drinking, for one thing. He smelled like beer, and his hair was kind of messed up.” She thought about it. “But it was more than that. His whole vibe was just wrong. He was looking at me differently—looking at me like I was his prey or something.”
Elijah’s jaw was flexing again, which she knew was something he did when he was getting upset. It touched her a little that he was so worked up on account of her.
“You don’t have to tell me it all if
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