Rewrite the Stars (bxb)

Chapter 21 Secrets

I glare at him.

"Why are you so tired anyway?" Sam asks.

I shrug, lifting my head and nibbling on some toast. "I couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts racing through my head."

"Like what?"

I set myself up for that one. I can't tell them what I was actually thinking about last night. In the midst of my eyes wandering, I catch Jax's gaze. That immediately reminds me of last night, and I blush.

Jax grins.

Dev jabs my side. "Are you blushing?"

"No," I shout, slapping his hand away. I put my head back in my arms.

"You so are," he exclaims. "Why? What happened? What were you thinking about last night?"

About how much I want any one of you to press me against a wall and kiss me until I black out from lack of oxygen.

I groan.

"Leave Blythe alone," Lincoln says.

"Ooh, defending Blythe," Peter says. "What'd you two do last night?"

"That is none of your business."

Peter gasps. "So there was something?"

"No," I say. "Nothing happened." I glance at Jax and then quickly look away. "Imma go take a nap now." I grab my plate, put it in the sink, and hurry out of the kitchen.

Now that I'm out of the limelight, I can get my head on straight. I need to watch them without them knowing that I am. That way they'll act the most natural, and me taking a nap is the best cover.

I make sure to be loud as I walk up the stairs and shut the door. I wait for two seconds before quietly opening the door again and going to the hall closet. I go through the secret trapdoor and to the stairs to the bonus room. I can hear everyone much clearer here. I sit down and rest my back against the wall as I listen.

"Lincoln, what did you do to him?" Peter asks.

"Yeah," Jax says. "Something kept him awake."

I roll my eyes.

"He didn't go to sleep until late," Peter says. "I woke up at like five, and he was still up."

Oh, crap. I was hoping he wasn't awake.

"Does he have trouble sleeping?" Orion asks.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think I've seen him go to sleep anytime before two."

"Anxiety and insomnia sometimes go hand in hand," Jax says, sounding serious now.

"Do you think he needs help sleeping?" Orion asks.

"I don't know. Maybe?" Jax says. "But Blythe doesn't seem like the person to ask for that."

"He doesn't seem like the type of person to ask for anything though," Sam says. "Even if it's life or death."

"That's because of his mom," Lincoln says, and my blood runs cold. Wait. What?

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know the details, but the way he is—anxious and private—is partly because of his mom. My guess is that his mom dominates Blythe, making Blythe feel inferior, so at night, when everyone else is asleep, that's the only time where he can be himself. Haven't you guys noticed Blythe coming out of his shell the longer he's here? He's very different than the Blythe that first came here."

Everything is silent, but the only thing I hear is the beating of my heart. I can't form a single thought.

"Sorry. That was uncalled for. I'll—"