Page 23 of The Truth of Our Secrets

She would be appalled if she knew how I thought about her.

“Ready?” I ask after she arms the alarm.

She smells like her name, roses, and I could breathe her in all night long. It’s hard not to lean in and bury my face in her neck to get high off her scent.

“What’s that look for?” she asks.

I refuse to look at my reflection in the window to see what my face is doing. “Trying to decide if we should walk, take the subway, or an Uber. I’m not exactly sure how far you are from your apartment.”

“If it were warmer, I’d say we could walk, but it’s chilly and these shoes were not made for walking.”

“Subway or Uber?” I offer her my arm.

“Let’s take the subway.” She links her arm through mine, and I’m ten feet tall.

“I’m surprised you picked the subway.” We stroll down the street, and I catch our reflection in a window. I would kill to be her man, taking her to our home. I gotta cut that crap out. It’s a teenage fantasy that I let get out of control.

“It gives us more time and you can help me figure out what to say to my assistant, o wise one.” She tugs my arm.

Absolutely. I’ll spend every single second with her that she’ll allow. “Cool.”

The subway ride passes faster than a blink and too soon, we’re standing in front of her building.

She faces me and I’m suddenly a tongue-tied, awkward teen, unsure where to put my hands. I shove them in the pockets of my jeans.

“Thanks for getting me home safe and for the advice.” She zips the charm on her necklace back and forth.

“Anytime you need me, just holler.” I step back. “See ya around.”

“Bye.” She waves and enters her building.

I stand there for several minutes, wishing I had a different life.

Madyson

I’m in bed when Jayce calls. “Hey, Baby Girl, I miss you.”

“I miss you too. How’s the camp going?” I smooth my hand over his empty side of the bed.

“Well, I did an on-camera interview.”

I bolt up in bed. “Are you alright? How did it go? What did the PR department say?”

He takes too long to answer, and I throw the covers off.

“I’m coming to you.” I open my flight app to see if there’s anything available.

“No. I’m fine. It wasn’t terrible.” He sighs. “It was an improvement.” His laugh is strained.

I settle back in bed. “Tell me about it.”

Jayce describes how it started off rocky. He was agitated and sounded a little aggressive. But the interviewer didn’t match his energy and continued to ask routine questions that he was prepared for. So he could relax.

“I think I ended the interview like a normal person.”

“Don’t say that. You are normal.” I’m itching to hug him since touch calms him.

“Can I send you the video and get your thoughts?”

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