Page 58 of The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

I laughed out loud at that, couldn’t help it. “Kiss his face off? Now, that’s romantic.”

“Whatever. Does Kyle make you feel that way? It’s a simple question, Sadie.”

I thought about it and my laughter stopped as quickly as it had started. If I was being honest, I couldn’t say yes to his questions. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever felt those things about Kyle. We’d always had more of a warm relationship, comforting and safe like a soft blanket, familiar like slipping into your favorite sweater. It wasn’t the burning Tim described, but…

“I love him, Tim,” I said with conviction. “I do.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Tim’s tone was skeptical as he began examining his nails, and I nearly growled. Why wasn’t he listening? “I just thought Colton would be a better option. Help you get over the other brother, give your love life a pick-me-up.”

“Hate to burst your imaginary bubble, but Colton doesn’t want me either.”

“He’s a moron then,” Tim said, looking me straight in the eye. “They both are.”

“Not morons,” I sighed. “Just not interested.”

I’d never told anyone Kyle’s secret, so Tim had no idea that Kyle, being gay, could never be interested in me in a romantic way. Even if he was straight, let’s face it. Chances were good that he still wouldn’t be into me. Take Colton, for example. He was straight as a freaking arrow.

“Enough about me,” I said, needing a change of subject. “How’s Little Tim? Is the gaming industry clamoring for you guys yet? Because they should be.”

“Ah, Little Tim.” He smiled like he did whenever he talked about his long-time boyfriend/soulmate. “He’s amazing, as usual, told me to tell you ‘hello.’ The guy can’t do his laundry to save his life, but I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“Sounds like you guys are happy,” I said.

“We are, Sadie.” Tim’s smile turned sly like he had a secret. “And you’ll be happy to know that, as of yesterday, we’re in talks with a company who’s interested in one of our games.”

“Oh my gosh! Which one?”

“Just a little game called ‘Her Majesty’s Revenge.’” Tim laughed as I gasped and hugged him, surprised and elated. “Yes, your idea, sweetie. It drew their attention.”

“Wow, that’s awesome, Tim! Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” he said, hugging me back. “Speaking of ideas, you still trying to get your dance videos out there?”

“Yeah,” I said, “but the rejections are piling up.”

“Stuck-up charlatans.” Tim frowned as we pulled away. “If you had more followers, your dances would’ve already been picked. It’s about who you know, Sadie, how many likes and views you get.Dancer’s Edgelikes to take people who make it big on their own and then pretend they ‘discovered’ them first. Such a scam.”

“I’m trying a new tango piece this time,” I said, cutting in. Tim had no love forDancer’s Edge. In addition to seeing how devastated I’d been when the rejections first started rolling in, Tim was a believer in free internet and open sourcing, and he’d never been a fan of big business. “It’s different than my usual pieces, more risqué. I’d need two guys and a girl, but I have a really good feeling about this one.”

“A little tango never hurt nobody,” he said and smiled. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. As a lowly game designer/college student, you know I love sticking it to the man.”

“Will do,” I said back.

“Have you decided where you’re going for college yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, you better hurry, girl. Time’s a ticking.”

I tried to keep my smile just as bright. I hated that question, hated how it made me feel like such a loser for not knowing where I was going in life. Whenever someone asked me that, a spike of fear rose up inside my chest.

Shaking it off, I said, “We should run the dance a few more times so we’re ready for tonight.”

“Sure.” Cutting me a challenging glance, he added, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but you were a little rusty.”

“Ha,” I said, “you’re the one who’s rusty, college boy.”

“We’ll see about that.”

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