Read Online Thirst by Ilia Bera - Free Book Online Page A

whatevers.”
     
    Brittany stared into Andrew’s eyes for a moment. She sighed. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Andrew. It’s sweet. But I can live with being below average. I can’t live with pity.”
     
    “Pity? I’m not trying to boost your ego here, Brittany. You’re a beautiful girl.”
     
    “Drop it, already.”
     
    “No. I won’t, okay? Whatever happened in your life that made you think that you were inadequate is unfortunate. I don’t know how that notion got into your head. You’re drop-dead gorgeous, and I’m not going to argue it anymore.”
     
    Brittany blushed. Andrew spoke with conviction—Brittany was actually starting to believe what he was saying was true. “Don’t you have some party to get to?” Brittany asked.
     
    “Yeah—I thought I’d wait for everyone else before I went.”
     
    “Where are they?” Brittany asked.
     
    “Everyone had other plans, I guess.”
     
    Brittany looked into Andrew’s eyes for a moment.
     
    “Did you still want to go?” Andrew asked.
     
    The university door opened, and Wade emerged from inside. Without noticing Brittany and Andrew, he began his journey home. Brittany watched him over Andrew’s shoulder.
     
    Wade lit a cigarette and began to smoke—something he only did when he was especially stressed out.
     
    “I heard they got a couple of kegs,” Andrew said.
     
    “Sorry—I just think I’m going to call it a night,” Brittany said as she watched Wade walking away.
     
    “Can I walk you home?” Andrew asked.
     
    “I actually need to run a few errands first,” Brittany lied.
     
    “Oh—All right. Just stay safe—okay?”
     
    “Okay, Andrew. Thanks for the pep talk,” said Brittany with a smile, keeping Wade in her peripheral vision.
     
    “And if you feel like venting—getting anything else off of your chest, just give me a ring.”
     
    “I’ll do that.”
     
    “Can I put my number in your phone, so you have it?” Andrew asked.
     
    Brittany felt around for her phone. “I don’t have it on me. Give me yours.”
     
    Andrew handed Brittany his phone. She began to put in her number.
     
    “Just text me, and I’ll have your number.”
     
    Andrew smiled. He meant every word he said to Brittany—she truly was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and he had seen many girls in many different countries.
     
    “Have fun at your party,” Brittany said. She started to walk away, following Wade’s tracks.
     
    “See you later,” Andrew said.
     
    Andrew watched with a blushing smile on his face as his crush walked into the distance. He stuffed his cold hands into his pockets.
     

 
    CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
    BAD BLOOD
     
    As every second ticked by, the air became noticeably colder.
     
    “You shouldn’t stand out here for too long. You’ll get sick,” a familiar voice called out from behind Andrew.
     
    Andrew turned around.
     
    Tarun was standing with his hands buried in his coat pockets about twenty feet away from Andrew.
     
    It wasn’t the first time they’d ran into one another since they met in India. There had been a number of run-ins, all of which ended on a sour note.
     
    When Andrew’s parents made their property trade with Vish, they were not very honest about their end of the bargain. Sure—they pulled some strings to get them Landing Papers, and they didn’t technically do anything illegal—but they did knowingly take advantage of the poor Indian family.
     
    Vish wanted to take his son to a big city, where there was a good university, and they could live out the “American Dream.” Andrew’s parents told him that Snowbrooke was “a relatively big place” and had “a relatively great university.” Snowbrooke was a relatively big place—relative to a shoebox. And the university was great, relative to the other universities that were within four hundred miles.
     
    Many generations of Mumbar family history was in Vish’s hotel. It was a massive sacrifice to let it