Page 44 of Chilled and Thrilled

“I mean, I do put dry clean only stuff in the coin-op machine in the basement, and it’s only ruined about fifty percent of the time, so I might be a jerk for not offering sooner.”

Bram looks horrified. Honor laughs.

“There’s one other thing,” I admit, because now that we’re clearing the air, there’s another piece of the story I need to get off my chest.

“Oh god, you’re not pregnant are you?”

My cheeks burn. “What? No! What a scandal that would be at Our Lady of Zero Intercourse.” I wait until Honor’s laughter has died away before speaking, gazing across the room at Bram as I do. “It’s about Christmas. I… I haven’t been going home when I told you I was. My family and I had this big falling out right after I went to college, and there hasn’t been a lot of contact since. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to invite me, just because I was going to be alone.”

“Oh, Sophie.” Honor sounds crestfallen. “I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?”

My throat clogs with emotion, and I wipe away another wave of tears, sniffing. “I didn’t want you to feel bad, or responsible for me or whatever. One of my brothers came to drop off that table for us Freshman year, and he saw you on the bed with the girl you were dating back then. You guys were literally just cuddling and watching a movie, but then my parents were demanding I switch rooms and never speak to you again and all this shitty stuff. They’re homophobic assholes, and they weren’t super fond of me before that incident, so it would have come to this one way or another.” My refusal to request a room change was—in my parents’ minds—final confirmation I’d sided with the devil.

Bram is staring at me with a hand pressed over his mouth, and Honor doesn’t say a word.

Then, through the phone pressed to my ear, comes my best friend’s shaky voice, “You picked being my friend over your family?”

I blow out a long breath, my throat crowded with emotion. “It was my choice. I didn’t want to put that on you, or make you feel like you had to be my friend or?—”

“Sophie!” Honor cuts off my rambling with a cry. “I love the absolute crap out of you, but when I get home, we’re going to have a really serious discussion about withholding important information. Also, tough love time; you really need therapy.”

I let out a watery laugh. “I know I do. It’s so expensive, though!”

“Oh my god, you are an engineer, Sophie June Nelson. I know for a fact you can afford to free yourself from the burden of your childhood religious trauma.”

Yeah, she’s probably right. I’ve thought about it in the past, but there was always an excuse not to do it. Mostly, I suspect I’m just a big fat chicken.

“I’ll make it happen,” I promise, meeting Bram’s eyes and offering him a soft, reassuring smile.

Honor sighs. “I should go. My new flight leaves tomorrow morning, assuming this one isn’t canceled too.”

Something tells me she wouldn’t mind so much if it was.

“Okay.” I swallow, still looking at Bram. “Merry Christmas, Honor.”

“Merry Christmas, Soph. Tell my father he needs to buy me something very shiny and expensive to make up for stealing my best friend.”

I giggle. “Will do.”

We hang up, and I let the phone fall to my lap as I offer Bram a hesitant smile. “She says I need to go to therapy, and that you need to buy her something expensive. But…” My bottom lip trembles. “She seems… okay with it? Not okay, exactly, but not pissed? Leni has been on to us for a while.”

It’s a pretty lame attempt at a coverup, and Bram seems to agree because he chuckles, shaking his head as he strolls across the bedroom toward me. “There’s a piece of this you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”

Yup. A significant one that I am never in a million yearsgoing to tell him. I’m well aware I got off easy, and Honor could have hated my guts. There’s no way I’m going back on my promise to keep “friend Sophie” and “Dad’s girlfriend Sophie” separate.

“Honor’s best friend tells you to mind your own business.” I scoot over to make room for him. Bram’s long legs stretch out beside mine on the mattress and I turn into his arms immediately, my heart expanding when he kisses my hair.

“You aren’t angry with me?” he asks.

I frown. “About what?”

“Not telling you about Honor and Riley breaking up. It didn’t feel right when she wasn’t aware of our relationship.”

“I understand,” I assure him, and it’s the truth. “That’s the only way we’re going to make this work. Keeping it separate.”

Another kiss, and Bram’s thumb strokes my arm absentmindedly. “You’re right. Just so we’re clear, though—” His free hand nudges my chin up so I’m forced to meet his warm, blazing stare. “This is going to work, Sophie.”

For probably the first time in my entire life, I’m lost for words. This is insane. Even if we’ve had feelings for each other for a while, Bram and I have spent less than two days together.

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