Page 95 of Stay
“How did it go? You told him, right?”
Indie rock plays in the background as other students grab something to eat.
I shake my head before shoving a forkful of lettuce and taco seasoned ground turkey into my mouth. Just like last night at the restaurant, my appetite pulls another vanishing act, leaving only queasiness in its place. At the rate I’m going, I’ll lose all the weight I’ve gained from not working out.
I wince when Brooklyn purses her lips. I know what’s going to fly out of her mouth before the words leave her lips.
“Cassidy, you have to tell him before Luke does!”
“I know.” With an unhappy huff of breath, I stare at my bowl of leafy greens.
I can’t help but wonder how Cole and I veered so offtrack last night. All right, I know exactly what happened.
And you know what?
I can’t bring myself to regret it. I never dreamed I could feel so close to another human being.
No longer interested in eating the salad, I drag my fork through it. “I’ll talk to him tonight. I promise.”
Brooklyn levels me with a hard stare. “I know it’s hard, but you have to do it. It’ll be so much better coming from you. If Luke says something first, it’ll seem like you were keeping the relationship from him.” She pauses, brows pinching together as her voice drops. “It might even look like you and Luke had something going on.”
My eyes bulge as my mouth tumbles open. “Why would you say that?”
She jerks her shoulders. “I don’t know. You both attended the same college last year. He was there the night everything went down. And you were dancing together at that party when someone snapped a picture. At the restaurant, he tried to get you to admit that you knew him.” A thoughtful expression flickers across her face. “It’s almost like he wants Cole to find out you two know each other.”
Everything she just said circles through my head as a fresh wave of nerves ripple across my flesh.
Is Brooklyn right?
Will it now seem like I’m trying to hide our nonexistent relationship from Cole?
My teeth sink into my lower lip as I lean closer to the table. “Want to hear something weird?”
One of her perfectly manicured brows slinks upward. “If it has anything to do with Luke, I don’t think so. The situation is already bad enough.” When I remain silent, she gestures with her hand to continue. “All right, lay it on me.”
“Luke caught up with me when I was walking to Econ earlier this afternoon.” I’m still unsure what to think about the encounter. It had been so uncomfortable and stilted.
Her brows nearly hit the ceiling as she shoves a forkful of salad into her mouth. Her expression turns contemplative. “You want my honest opinion?” Before I can say anything, she blurts, “I think he has a thing for you.”
Not that I want to feed into her speculations, but I need to tell her everything. “He asked me to grab coffee with him so we could talk.”
She holds her fork midair as a knowing glint fills her eyes. “I knew it. He’s definitely got a thing for you. My guess is that he’s trying to cause trouble between you and Cole.”
I shake my head, hoping she’s wrong. “I don’t think that’s the case.”
“All right, let’s say you’re right and I’m totally off base. The only way you’ll get it figured out is if you sit down and talk to him.”
The look Brooklyn spears me with says that she doesn’t think she’s wrong.
What I hate most is that she could be right.
“I’m not interested in anything he has to say. I came to Western for a fresh start, and now it feels like everything from last year will be dredged up again.” The thought of that happening makes me want to cry. It must show on my face because Brooklyn reaches across the table and lays her hand over mine before giving it a squeeze.
“I know. I swear we’ll get through this together.” There’s a pause before she adds, “You have to tell Cole what happened. Once you do that, it’ll make dealing with Luke easier.”
She’s right.
“Thanks, Brook. It helps talking with you about this.” I give her a half-hearted smile as everything swims around in my head. Not wanting to dwell on the situation any longer, I ask, “Anything new on the Austin front?”
