Page 90 of Built to Fall
I take in every detail of him in the same way I would my favorite documentary. I let my eyes roam over the sharp line of his jaw—strong from all the gum I see him chew—and the way the comforter rests just low enough to make my brain short-circuit. He looks infuriatingly relaxed. As if he has no idea—oreveryidea—of what he does to me.
He lifts the covers without saying a word, and I hate how easy it is to slip under them like I fit perfectly in the space of a plush mattress right beside him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LINA
It’s been a week of Grant and me playing into the pregnancy rumors—which has mainly consisted of us buying baby itemsvery obviouslyin public places near campus—and I’d be lying if I said we weren’t having fun with it.
It has also been a week of me sleeping in his bed consistently, which has done wonders for my sleep schedule.
And with final exam season and Christmas break quickly approaching, I’ve come to accept the fact that Ineedsleep. If Grant’s bed is the only place I can get even a bit of that, I’m game for it.
Grant dropped me off at my class this morning, and after a brutal first final, I step out into the courtyard, blinking harshly as my eyes get used to the late morning sun.
I’m definitely not paying enough attention to where I’m going as I head toward the coffee cart, and I’m about two seconds away from running straight into someone when I catch a flash of platinum blonde hair in my peripheral vision.
I try to stop myself, but it’s too late. I bump into her shoulder, stumbling back a step.
“Shit—sorry,” I blurt out, looking up and immediately recognizing the girl in front of me.
Savannah Sinclair.
She looks exactly as I’d describe her any other time I’ve seen her: porcelain skin, red glossy lips, and a sharpness to her gaze that makes it feel like she’s peeling me apart in a glance. Except she doesn’t look mad, just a little surprised. Maybe even a little happy?
Not that it’s obscenely odd for her to look that way. In fact, I’ve never had abadexperience with her. She was super nice the night she found me in Grant’s backyard and the few times I’ve seen her in passing since.
She’s proven herself to be an overly nice girl. Yet, part of me still wonders if she feels different toward me considering I’ve been sleeping in her hookup’s bed.
“Lina, hi!” She smiles brightly, confirming again that she’s as perfect as I’ve suspected.
“Hey!” I try to sound as excited as she does, but I’m not entirely sure what to make of her or how to act.
I can tell she’s not the type of girl to be jealous or hold resentment because I’ve been hanging out with Grant. But there’s still a part of me that feels like the two of us are in a weird limbo.
“I was actually just with Grant! What you guys are doing with the whole pregnancy stunt is the funniest thing ever.”
We both laugh a little, silently agreeing to continue walking toward the coffee cart together. “Yeah, it’s been super fun for us too,” I reply.
“Do you have any idea when you guys are going to let everyone in on the hoax?”
It might be the first time I’ve ever seen her not wearing a skirt, which makes sense considering how cold it is outside. Still, her jeans fit her perfectly in the same way Jennifer Aniston’s would, and the pink Polo sweater she has on perfectly accentuates her frame.
The line moves up a little more. We both take a small step forward while her eyes are still trained on me.
“We’re going to a bakery tonight to get blue and pink cupcakes as one last joke before taking them to his sister’s house—the one who’sactuallypregnant. I think we’re going to post something with his sister, giving her all the stuff we’ve been buying as confirmation that the baby is, in fact, not ours.”
“Honestly, that’s brilliant. People deserve to be confused for at least a little longer.”
A small, surprised giggle slips out of me. “Yeah, we may have leaned into it more than we should have.”
“No such thing, in my opinion.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
The girl in front of us finishes ordering, and I step up to rattle off my request before paying and waiting off to the side for Savannah.
“Listen,” she says when she’s done ordering. “I don’t know what’s going on with the two of you, but whatever it is, it needs to continue.”
