Page 129 of Not Fooling Anyone

How does she even have my email address?

I skim her message, my brows popping up in surprise.

“What is it?” Lexie asks.

“Check it out.” I hand my phone over to her across the table. “Mia found this in one of those psychology journals she subscribes to.”

“The Physiological Effects of Romantic Love,” she reads. “Wait, is this our study? The one we did last semester?”

“It must be. Dr. Clark and Justin are the two main authors of the paper.”

She reads the article aloud as we finish up our food, though there are a few terms we don’t understand, especially the parts related to the brain.

“So, basically, they determined that love has a significant effect on the way our bodies function?” I say when she’s finished. “And they were paid how much to come up with that conclusion?”

“Well, we got paid too, so I’m not complaining. And I probably skewed the results of the first half of the study anyway.”

“Nah, I know you were secretly in love with me the whole time.”

Her lips tilt up at the corners. “Right.”

I pick up my fork, circling it around the edge of my plate. “You know, Tyler and Mia were both accepted to Psych programs for grad school in Boston.”

“Oh, wow. Good for them.”

“So Tyler will be moving out soon.”

“Okay.”

Not exactly the response I was hoping for.

“So there’s not really a reason for me to stay there anymore, and my lease with Tom is up soon, too.”

She sets down her fork, seeing where I’m going with this now. “Actually, Isaac asked Travis to move in with him last week. I pushed it to the back of my mind, but Travis is planning on moving his stuff in before our lease is up in a few months.”

Well, that certainly aligns with my plans.

“And what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” she whispers.

The obvious question lingers in the air, and I bite the bullet, taking a leap of faith. “Would you want to get a place together?”

She grabs her napkin, twisting it in her lap. “Are you ready for that?”

“Yes.” There’s no question in my mind.

Nervousness and interest play over her face. “It’s a big step.”

“It is,” I agree. “But hear me out. We could get a dog. Skittles Junior, obviously.”

She laughs, the apprehension leaving her. “No dog. I have enough trouble taking care of you.”

“Fine, no dog. But yes to moving in together?”

She nods, a smile creeping over her lips. “Yes.”

I let out a whoop, standing and pulling her out of the booth, and lay a long kiss on her.

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