The Nerd Who Stole The Quarterback (Astra and Zayne) novel Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Chapter 89

ASTRA

I finally broke eye contact, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Zane Ashton had stood up for me.

Against Catherine Whitmore.

55 youn

One of the most influential women in their circle. The mother of the girl who had made my life miserable for years.

He’d stood up for me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Like I mattered.

Something warm and terrifying unfurled in my chest.

For a few minutes, while he’d stood between me and Catherine, I had felt safe.

That realization should have been comforting.

Instead, it terrified me.

My cheeks grew hotter.

Of all the people in the world, the last person I should feel safe with was Zane Ashton.

Unfortunately, my heart seemed to disagree.

The corner of his mouth lifted when he noticed my face.

“Look at you,” he murmured, clearly entertained. “All red again. Cute.”

I made an offended sound.

“I am not cute! And this is your fault! Stop looking at me like that!”

I shoved at his arm, trying to get down from the counter.

My legs were still shaky. The dress was ruined. And emotionally? I was a complete mess.

And Zane was making everything worse.

Zane huffed out a laugh and helped me down anyway, his hands steady on my waist.

The second my feet touched the floor, he didn’t move away.

“Shorty,” he said.

I blinked.

Did he just call me short?

My mouth fell open.

12:02 Fri, Jul 3

Chapter 89

Instead. I just stood there staring at him.

And somehow that felt worse.

The soft knock on the bathroom door nearly made me jump out of my skin.

“Astra? Zane?” Elira called gently. “I have ice and cream for her cheek. Can I come in?”

I jerked backward so fast I almost tripped.

Heat flooded my face.

Zane’s hand dropped away, slowly and almost reluctantly.

“Y-yes,” I called. “Come in.”

Elira stepped inside carrying a small ice pack wrapped in cloth and a tube of cream.

Her gaze flicked between us, my burning face and Zane’s expression.

The distance we’d very obviously not been keeping.

To her credit, she didn’t say a word.

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“Here, darling,” Elira said softly, handing me the ice pack. “Hold this against your cheek for a while. It’ll help with the swelling.”

“Thank you.” My voice sounded embarrassingly small. “And… I’m really sorry about everything.”

Elira shook her head.

“You have nothing to apologize for. None of this was your fault.”

My throat tightened.

She squeezed my shoulder gently.

“Go get changed when you’re ready. The event is almost over.”

Her gaze flicked briefly to Zane. Something passed between them that I couldn’t quite read.

Then she stepped out, closing the door quietly behind her.

Silence settled over the room.

I pressed the ice pack against my cheek and focused very hard on not looking at Zane.

Unfortunately, that was difficult when I could practically feel him watching me.

“I should…” I cleared my throat. “I should probably change out of this dress before the stain gets worse.”

Zane said nothing, he just looked at me and the silence stretched.

My pulse did something stupid.

“Okay. Great. Thanks for the help.”

I practically fled.

12:02

Chapter 89

The walk to my room was a blur. The second I stepped inside, I shut the door and leaned against it, releasing a shaky breath:

My heart was still racing.

And that was ridiculous.

Tonight had been a disaster.

An expensive dress was covered in wine.

I had been slapped.

So why was the only thing my brain wanted to focus on a pair of green eyes?

I groaned and dragged both hands down my face.

“Nope. Not doing this.”

Crossing the room, I stopped in front of the mirror.

The sight of the gown made my stomach sink.

The wine had spread into a dark blotch across the front, staining the beautiful burgundy fabric.

Carefully, I unzipped the dress and laid it across the bed before grabbing my phone.

A few frantic searches on Google later, my hopes dropped.

How to remove red wine stain from burgundy silk dress

“Blot immediately with cold water… Salt or baking soda for fresh stains… White wine or club soda can help neutralize… For set stains, professional dry cleaning is recommended…”

None of the results sounded cheap.

I tried anyway.

For the next twenty minutes, I dabbed at the stain with a damp cloth, praying for a miracle.

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