Page 41 of Out of the Shadows
This was what I thought friendships would be like in high school. Real friends are supposed to be excited and rooting for you. Ella was the perfect roommate for me, and we were starting to form a friendship. It felt like I was finally putting down the roots I had longed for.
Colt’s little note filled my chest with a fuzzy feeling. I could barely bring myself to roll out of his bed. His scent was all over the sheets, and I wanted to stay there forever.
Reluctantly, I finally got out of his bed, brushed my teeth with my finger, then threw my hair into a ponytail. My clothes were folded in a neat pile on his table, and my chest tightened at the thought of Colt taking the time to do this for me. As I was about to place the shirt that I had been wearing on the bed, I hesitated, seized by a sudden urge to keep a memento ofthis night with me, then tucked it under my arm and walked out of the quiet house. Surely, he wouldn’t miss it.
When I got back to my dorm, I found Ella on her bed with her legs in the air and a mischievous grin on her face.
“There she is.” She wiggled her eyebrows like a cartoon villain hatching a half-baked plan. “So, tell me, have you been nice or naughty? Or both?”
I groaned but couldn’t hold back a grin.
“You’re terrible.” I stared at her for a moment. Then I gave in. “And both, I’d say.”
“That’s my girl.” She squealed.
“Hell yeah.”
Ella laughed and sat up. I plopped down on my bed and sat cross-legged across from her. I wasn’t entirely sure if I could trust her, but I needed someone to talk to. My options were limited.
“Although, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really getit.”
Ella raised a dark-red eyebrow, the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose popping.
“I don’t know how to explain it to you.”
“Tell me whatever you feel comfortable with. Hailey, honey, I’m a bit of a lone wolf. I know what it’s like to keep things to myself. Hell, I play tennis because I could never deal with team sports — too much pressure putting my fate in someone else’s hands. Whatever you tell me will stay between us.”
“I’m still a virgin,” I blurted before I could stop myself.
Her pale-green eyes went wide as she stared at me, elbows braced on her knees.
“Wait, really?” She gaped for a second. “The way you and big daddy look at each other, I figured you were … ya know, all over it.”
I snorted. “I wish I was.”
Her brow furrowed. “Okay, now I’m lost.”
I let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, it’s complicated. There are still some things I need to figure out, but Colt … Colt is incredible.”
Still unsure whether I could trust Ella to that extent, I chewed on my lip, but if I didn’t finally talk to someone about it, I would implode.
“Like what?”
“Like how to convince him to have a real relationship with me.”
“Real relationship? You’re already dating, though.”
“Nope.”
“Huh?” She blinked, looking genuinely lost. “One more time for the slow people in the back, please.”
“It’s fake,” I blurted.
Ella blinked twice in slow motion and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“It’s …fake?” she repeated, dumbfounded. “But you … I mean, this is crazy stuff, dude. The whole thing looks pretty damn real to me.”
“Actually, I have you to thank for that.”
