Underneath It All by Ysa Arcangel Read Free Book Online Page A

mortification.
    “Hi, just keep dancing. It’s fine with me.”
    Reeve chuckled and reached out to turn off the music. He walked up to me and brushed my hair away from my shoulder. “How are you feeling? You shouldn’t be moving around so much.”
    I stood silent, still feeling awkward at the moment.
    “You okay?” He was staring hard at me.
    I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. When my eyes fell on his tight boxers I quickly averted my eyes; I wasn’t sure on where to look. I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks.
    Reeve noticed my uneasiness and he carefully stepped back. “Oh shoot, sorry. I’m not used to wearing clothes inside my house.” He spun back around to face the stove and switched it off. “I will put some clothes on; you sit and wait for me. We need to talk.”
    I thought about asking what about, but then I realized that saying that would be stupid. I knew what we had to talk about.
    He came back with his white t-shirt on and a pair of loose jeans hanging low on his hips. My wide and nervous eyes met his.
    He walked up to the counter and prepared a glass of orange juice. He grabbed a bowl and poured butternut squash soup into it. He prepared a cup of coffee and reheated a box of pizza and a bowl of spaghetti.
    “Let’s eat.” He ordered and sat across from me. He stirred his coffee without taking his eyes off me.
    “Thank you. It smells really good.” I gave him a grateful smile. Knowing he cooked for me, intentionally, on a day that meant nothing to the rest of the world, meant everything to me.
    “Are you feeling better now?” he asked and shoved a spoonful of spaghetti in his mouth.
    “Yeah, thank you.”
    “If you were wondering if I was the one who changed your clothes, no. It wasn’t me, Tatiana did that; she was here earlier.”
    “Oh, I see.” I nodded and began to sip my soup. I felt the liquid pour down my throat. The warmth of the soup enveloped my lungs and felt so good. “You shouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of bringing me here. You could have dropped me off at my dorm and left me there.”
    “If I want to fucking spend time with you, I will, okay? I wanted to make sure you’re fine.”
    There he went again changing moods. I swear there had to be something mentally wrong with this guy. No other person in my life frustrated me as much as he.
    “Well, aren’t you sweet?” I smirked.
    “So you want to tell me what happened this afternoon? What were you doing out in the storm, Agata? Are you trying to kill yourself?”
    One quick bite then he got down to business.
    My breath caught in my throat. I really didn’t want to tell him.
    “I was…” I paused and bit my lip. I wasn’t sure how to phrase it, “…finishing a task.”
    Reeve paused with a fork halfway to his mouth. “Task?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. I didn’t answer. “Sorority task?”
    I mentally face palmed and nodded in confirmation. “How long did I stay out there? You think I lasted thirty minutes out there?”
    “I knew it,” he stated, shaking his head. “Agata, I don’t give a damn if you finished that fucking task or not. You scared the shit out of me; don’t you know that? You’re not joining the sorority.”
    “I have the right reasons for joining.” I bit my lip.
    “Reasons?” He gave me a confused look.
    “The sisterhood is important to me.” I thought of giving him some lame excuse.
    The room grew still. He stared at me, his face blank, and I couldn’t move.
    “Are you kidding me?” His gaze was unyielding. “You think the sorority will save you from dying out there? They don’t give a damn, Agata!”
    “It’s part of the process,” I reasoned out.
    “That’s ridiculous.”
    “You should have known it. You’re part of the organization.”
    “That’s why I don’t want you in!” He threw his napkin on his plate and shot up to his feet. I remained silent and gazed at my food. “Agata, what’s gotten into you?” His words