Page 103 of Feels Like Love
At least I got to taste her lips first.
“Bennett?” His voice shifted, confusion taking over. “What are you doing in here?” I stared at the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow me whole. “And where’s your shirt?”
“Oh, um…” I hesitated. I didn’t want to lie to my best friend, but I also valued my balls. And my life.
“He was just helping me fix the bed,” Wren said. Was her heart pounding as hard as mine?
“Fix. The. Bed?” Liam repeated as if it made absolutely no sense. Probably because it didn’t, and he was right to be suspicious. “Wren?” He tilted his head. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Very funny, smartass. I meant, why aren’t you on your ‘romantic getaway’ with Arlo?”
“Oh, um…” Wren was breathless. And like the coward I was, I stayed on the floor, chest pressed to the wood as if it would protect me, shield me from his wrath. “Something came up.”
Liam frowned. “What’s wrong with the bed?”
“The frame has been squeaking.”
“Squeaking?” Liam’s voice went all high-pitched.
“You know how River likes to jump on things. He’s obsessed withparkour,thanks to you.” She laughed and did a little jiggle, which made the bed squeak. “The squeak is annoying. And I don’t want to end up on the floor one night because he flung himself on the bed too many times. Anyway…what are you doing here?”
She hopped off the bed, stepping over me. “Thanks, Bennett.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Liam joked. “Better you than me.”
“Yeah. Yeah. You’re welcome,” I muttered.
Their voices faded down the hall, and as soon as they were gone, I flopped down on the floor. That was close. Too close. And I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go on like this. I’d finally gotten the girl, but I felt as if I were on the verge of losing it all.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bennett was making dinner when River and I got home from school. Bennett’s house was finished, but he was staying here for the time being. It was a big reason why I’d been pushing to tell Liam. Sooner or later, he was going to find out.
“Butter Butter!” River yelled, running into Bennett’s arms for a hug.
“Butter Bean!” Bennett squeezed him tight, breathing him in.
“Thanks.” River grunted. “But you’re kind of squishing me.”
“Sorry.” Bennett released him with a laugh.
When he stood, I walked over to him for a side hug. “Hey.”
“Hey.” We shared a secret smile, and when River wasn’t looking, he gave me a quick kiss.
We’d agreed to keep our relationship a secret from River until we’d had a chance to tell Liam. It was getting harder and harder every day that dragged on. I didn’t like lying to either of them. I knew Bennett didn’t either, but every time I tried to talk to him about it, he’d distract me or change the subject.
Sometimes I wished we’d just told Liam the truth the morning he’d caught us “fixing the bed.” And while waiting had been the right decision, I was sick of sneaking around. Regardless of when or how we told my brother, he wasn’t going to be happy. We just needed to get it over with and rip off the Band-Aid.
It wasn’t until later, when Bennett and I were alone, that I finally said, “I know you don’t want to talk about Liam, but we need to tell him. It’s better than him finding out from someone else.”
“I know,” Bennett sighed and removed the floss from his teeth but kept his eyes on the mirror. “I do, but…”
“But what?” I leaned my hip against the counter.
I knew this was difficult for him, scary. But I was scared too. And despite my concerns, it was something that needed to be done. We’d kept this secret long enough. And now that we were together—a couple—I didn’t want to hide anymore.
