Page 65 of How He Got the Girl
“Yours, of course.”
I bite back a groan at the thought of Griffin in my childhood bedroom. “Am I in Connor’s room?”
Her brows furrow. “No, Connor’s in his room.”
“Well, then, where am I staying?
“Your room.”
My eyes widen. A big warning alarm in my brain flashes a red alert.
She squeezes my arm. “You don’t have to pretend with me, Mal. I know Griffin’s not in Louisville for long, so I’m sure you want to spend as much time with him as possible.”
I force a smile as Griffin returns, carrying my small suitcase and his duffel bag.
Mom smiles at him. “Mallory can show you to her bedroom, where you can put those down.” She winks at me. “Don’t take too long up there.”
I think I might be sick. Griffin and I haven’t been alone in private long enough for me to have a conversation with him about the interview yet…and now I’m being forced to share a room—no, abed—with him? I don’t know how I’m going to keep my growing feelings at bay, let alone remain a safe distance away from him, when we’re sharing a bed.
I climb the stairs, Griffin trailing behind me.
“What is she talking about?” he asks when we reach the landing.
“I’ll tell you in a second,” I say shakily, slightly out of breath from both the ascent and the bed-sharing news. Griffin, on the other hand, doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest, even though he’s the one carrying extra weight.
As I step into my bedroom, I’m transported back to my middle and high school years. Nothing has been touched. Posters of Taylor Swift, One Direction, the Jonas Brothers, Louisville Mustangs players, and the cast ofHigh School Musicalcover every inch of my walls. The gaps are filled in with taped-up photos of me with my besties or family members.
It’s truly like stepping into a frozen moment in time. One where I dreamed of meeting a JoBro, and they would instantly sweep me off my feet and beg for my hand in marriage. Now, I’m living that life in a way—dating a celebrity. Well, fake dating. For now.
I can’t bring myself to look at Griffin as he sets down our things and walks around the room, taking it all in. He runs his fingers across the trophy I won for ice skating in middle school, right before I quit at the top of my game. It feels intimate. Like I’m being forced to bare part of my soul to him.
When the silence becomes unbearable, I spit out the words I’ve been holding in. “We’re sleeping in here tonight.”
Griffin immediately turns my way. “We, as in you and me?Together?” I nod. “Are you okay with that?” He looks around the room. “I can sleep on the floor.”
There’s no way I’m letting him sleep on the scuffed hardwood floors. “You can’t sleep on the floor.” I look atthe queen-sized bed. “We’ll make a pillow wall.” I nod my head slowly. “That should work. It’ll be fine,” I say, more for my benefit than his, as if uttering the words aloud will make them true.
“Yeah.” Griffin runs a hand along his stubble. “We’ll figure it out.”
I take a step toward the door. “We should get downstairs before my mom thinks we’re up to no good.”
“Why would she think we’re up to no good?” Griffin smirks.
“Because she thinks we’re a real couple.” I pick a piece of fuzz from my coat off my plum sweater, unable to meet his eyes as I add, “Madly in love.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want them thinking a couple has real feelings for each other,” Griffin teases. He joins me by the door, intertwining our fingers.
I roll my eyes, tugging him into the hall. We walk downstairs, passing multiple extended family members, whom we say quick greetings to, until I spot the man I’m looking for in the living room.
“Con Con,” I squeal, running over and throwing my arms around my older brother’s neck.
He lets out a grunt, and I press my lips together to keep from laughing. He always hates it when I call him that, which is exactly why I still do it.
His blond hair is wild and longer than normal. “You need a haircut.” I pull back, taking in his unkempt beard. “And a beard-care kit.”
“My hair’s fine,” he grunts, gruff as ever.
“If by fine, you mean you look like a caveman before mirrors were discovered, then sure, your hair’sfine.”
