Page 51 of Only Fate

I’m falling in love with this girl.

“My friends and I are visiting my brother this weekend,” Essie tells me while I FaceTime her from inside my car.

She hasn’t returned to my campus since the night she showed up at our dorm unannounced. Every time we’ve hung out, I’ve gone to her. Which I have no problem with since we now haveour spotswhere we hang out when I’m there.

“Have you told River we’re hanging out?” I scratch my cheek. “That we …” My words trail off. Even after all this time, I have no idea what to call us.

She shakes her head. “I mean, we can tell him we’re friends.”

I’ve never winced harder.

My throat tightens, stopping me from telling her we’re much more than friends. I hate our sneaking around, and guilt creeps in when I see River without telling him. He mentions Essie to me, and when they’re FaceTiming, he’ll often point the phone at me and tell her to say hi.

I decide to change thefriendssubject because it always puts me in a funk. “Are you staying in our dorm room?”

It’d be a tight fit, and people would have to sleep on the floor, but I don’t mind. I’d much rather run off and sleep somewhere private with Essie. We have plenty of parks here.

“No.” She sips her latte while sitting outside her favorite coffee shop. “We rented a hotel room, but I’m sure I’ll see you.”

“You’resureyou’ll see me?” I dramatically massage my neck and deepen my voice. “Esmeralda, I’dbettersee you.”

She rolls her eyes in fake annoyance at my use of her legal name. I didn’t know Essie was a nickname until she dropped her school ID from her bag while we were studying in the library.

“I’d never go there and not see you, Adrian,” she says matter-of-factly.

“That’s my girl.” I attempt to sound lighthearted, but I feel anything but. “You won’t act like I’m a stranger, will you?”

“Absolutely not.” She suddenly stills. “Why’d you even think something like that?”

“I’m sorry.” I blow out a noisy breath. “I’ve just never had a secret friendship with someone.”

“First off, we don’t have asecret friendship.”

“How many people know you spend nearly all your free time with me?”

“I don’t have a great history with boys I’ve hung out with.” She fingers her necklace with anEcharm hanging from it. “I enjoy having you to myself.”

“When our lives aren’t so crazy, you’re going to officially be my girlfriend. Promise me that someday you’ll be mine.”

“Promise.” She raises her pinky.

I do the same, and we pretend to cross them through our screens.

17

Present Day

Puking is the worst.

I’d rather get stung by a dozen bees—granted, I’m not allergic—than vomit.

“Why me?” I groan into the office trash can.

Nausea churns in my stomach as sweat drips from my forehead. After rushing to my bathroom to vomit this morning, I thought this stomach bug would pass, and I’d be okay to work.

Wrong.

Last night, after taking Brielle home, I thought about calling Adrian but chickened out. Maybe my heart is mad at me for that and is taking it out on my stomach today.

---