Free Defective (The Institute Series Book 3) by Kayla Howarth Page B

days,” I reply.
    “Who’s Paxton?” Jamie asks.
    “Uh…” I stutter. How in the world am I going to answer this with Ebb here?
    “Allira’s boyfriend,” Jayce responds, a slight smile on his lips.
    Ebb practically chokes on the water she started sipping. “Boyfriend?” she exclaims. I glare at her, begging her not to expose me. Although by the look on Jayce’s face, he already knows and Ebb’s just confirmed his suspicions.
    “Campaigning? You mean Paxton James is your boyfriend?” Jamie asks.
    “Uh. Let’s not talk politics tonight,” I say.
    “So, what are we drinking?” Jayce changes the subject, letting the issue slide.
    “Something strong,” I mumble, making the table laugh.
    A few rounds and some food later, I actually find that I’m enjoying myself. The conversation is flowing as easily as the drinks. I thought it was going to feel weird, like Jamie and I were the third and fourth wheels on a date, but surprisingly enough, we’ve all interacted equally.
    “So Jayce was telling me about this clinic you all work at,” Jamie says. “I’ll have to come by sometime and have a look.”
    “You really should do that,” Ebb says in a flirtatious tone.
    Taking a purposeful sideways glance at Jayce to see his reaction, he isn’t paying attention to Ebb and Jamie at all. He’s looking at me, making me blush. I make a point to blame the alcohol for my warm cheeks.
    “I have to go to the bathroom,” I say, excusing myself from the table. I lost count of the amount of drinks I’ve had. I’m not drunk, but I certainly need to pee.
    “I’ll come with you!” Ebbodine exclaims a little louder than necessary. I can’t say the same for her about not being drunk. She’s had about twice as many as me.
    She follows me into the bathroom and immediately says the words I’ve been dreading to hear. “I know I promised I wouldn’t do this… but…”
    “No,” I say before she can finish. “You cannot leave me alone with a complete stranger.”
    “Jayce isn’t a stranger,” she says, surprising me.
    “Wait… what?”
    “I want some alone time with Jamie,” she whispers.
    “Really?” I feel my face light up even though I tell it not to.
    “Yeah. Is that okay?”
    “That’s fine by me. I can walk home by myself – it’s only a couple of blocks.” Really fine by me. I try to hide my smile.
    We get back to the table to find Jayce standing. “Hey, thanks for the evening, ladies, but I should be getting home. I actually have classes tomorrow.”
    “Oh, would you be able to walk Allira home? She’s suddenly not feeling so well, and I worry about her walking by herself.” Ebb’s concerned manner is convincing, even though I know she’s faking it. She was all too happy to have me walk home by myself two minutes ago.
    He smiles. “Yeah, no problem.”
    “Call me tomorrow,” I tell her.
    As I go to walk away, Jayce briefly puts his hand on the small of my back, sending shivers up and down my spine.
    “So not feeling well?” he asks me as we start walking down the street.
    “Classes tomorrow?” I retort.
    “You were told to get lost, too?”
    “Yup. I’m pretty sure your brother just stole your date,” I say with a laugh.
    “How do you know it wasn’t the other way around?” he asks with a wry smile. “I wouldn’t have come if I thought it was a date with Ebb.”
    Silence fills the air, the type of silence that can get awkward really quick if you don’t change the subject or make a joke. Luckily, he continues talking, because I have no idea how to respond to that.
    “Can I ask you something? And keep in mind it’s completely okay if you don’t want to answer. I just don’t want to be lied to.”
    “I think I know what’s coming.” I say with a sigh. “You want to know about Paxton.”
    He nods.
    “I didn’t technically lie.”
    “Is he your boyfriend or not?” he asks flat out.
    “Not. But it’s not as easy as that. Paxton and I have been through so much