Page 123 of Friends with Benefits

He doesn’t even deny it.

Evie closes the fridge, indecisive and empty-handed. “I have to go to work.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

His eyes meet hers. “Are you hungry?”

“No,” she lies.

Because it would be unbearable to sit here and let him prepare a meal for her, she swipes her keys off the counter and reaches for the doorknob.

“Ev,” Theo says, and that one syllable, her name, is a strained exhale. It stills her, but she doesn’t dare turn toward his voice, doesn’t dare turn toward him. “I have to make a decision by the end of the week.”

God.

He’s so stubborn.

“Theodore—”

“I think I’m going to take it.”

Oh.

“Obviously you’re taking it.”

She squeezes her eyes shut. Braces for Theo to push back. He doesn’t. So. She’s gone, so ready to get out of here, to get to the studio where she can turn off her brain. It doesn’t register until she’s on the freeway that she’s still in her pajamas, so she reroutes to the nearest department store, and the tears that stream down her cheeks as she’s thumbing through athleisure arehappy tearsbecause Theo is accepting the job. His dream job. In New York.

It’s fine.

She’sfine.

It’s what she wants.

26

Milo continues to be such a little shit.

“Okay. Seriously. Mr. Theodore, what isupwith you?”

“Just doing some grading.” Theo keeps his voice nonchalant as he continues to mark up spelling quizzes. “Circuitreally stumped a lot of you.”

“Because there’s a quietu?” Kaia asks, not looking up from a tattered copy ofThe Son of Neptune.

Tyler groans. “There’s au?”

Milo narrows his eyes, undeterred by his deflection. “It’s Ms. Evie. Isn’t it?”

“Sit down, Milo.”

“Iknewit.”

Kaia closes her book. “Did she make you sad?”

“Didyoumakehersad?” Annabelle asks, then nudges Sierra with a glittery elbow. Why the fuck is there glitter all over her elbow? “Itold yousomething was wrong when Mr. Cohen didn’t ‘1985’ us last week!”

Commotion ensues, rendering silent reading over.

---