She pulled away. “Let’s start season five,” she said.
“Whatever you want,” I said, grinning at her.
I started the next season, and then leaned back. She barely touched me as she leaned against my headboard, staring at the screen. I patted her leg once and pulled back. I glanced at her one more time. She offered a small smile, but nothing else. If I could have one superpower, I would want to read minds. Who are you, Autumn Miller? More importantly, what are you doing to me?
Sixteen
I’d always loved a good, firm pillow. Growing up I was accustomed to the floor or an old sofa, accompanied by anything I could shove under my head. Before I opened my eyes, I knew this was much worse than a firm pillow. I peeked one eye open.
Shit. This was worse than I thought. His chest was bare. I was fully awake, anxiety in overdrive. The steady rise and fall of his chest told me he was still asleep. For the love of God, my hand was on his chest. Crying on the inside, I gently pulled away from him inch by inch until I was out of the bed. I was fully clothed, to my relief. I grabbed my notebook from his table and tiptoed to the door.
“You were actually going to leave while I’m still asleep?” If his morning voice were not so perfect, I would have jumped.
“I didn’t want to wake you,” I said. It wasn’t a lie.
“Get back in here,” he said, holding the covers up. For the first time, I saw his body in all its glory. Let me tell you, there is a God.
“I have class and work,” I said, pointing to the door.
He groaned. “Come back tonight. We’re having a party and bring that girl Tyler likes.”
“It’s a Tuesday,” I deadpanned.
“This is a frat house, babe.” My face remained neutral, but my mind lit with excitement when he called me ‘babe’. I let that idea roll around in my head for a moment. My brother and I always made fun of mushy couples at our school. I loathed pet names, but here I was, secretly wondering when he’d say it again.
“Right. Yeah, we’ll be here,” I managed to stumble out a response.
“Is everything all right?” In that moment, everything else vanished. He lay in his bed, propped up on his elbow. His boyish grin showed through sleepy eyes.
“Everything’s great. I need to get going.”
“Goodbye, Autumn.”
I slammed the door before anymore awkwardness happened. I thought I’d done enough. On my way out, I didn’t pass anyone. They were probably still passed out from a wild night. Luckily, I slipped out unnoticed. Except…Josie would notice. Gabby would cover for me.
Me: I stayed with you last night.
Gabby: Only if you tell me who you really stayed with.
Me: Please do not freak. It was nothing.
Gabby: Spill it.
Me: Liam
Gabby: Details. Now.
Me: Oh, you will hear all about it at the party tonight.
Gabby: Can’t wait. See you there.
When I got to class, I jogged all the way up the steps, stealing someone’s seat in the back. I didn’t care who I pissed off in that moment. I tried to listen as the professor murmured on, but my mind was trying to sort out the clusterfuck that was my life.
I kissed Liam. Or he kissed me. Either way, who gave a shit. We’d both kissed other people. Him probably more than me, and honestly my breath probably smelled like garlic and wine. He was probably trying to forget it more than I was.
Only…I didn’t want him to forget.
Cars were lined up halfway down the street. He was being serious. It was a party every night at this place. In the month that I’d been at this school, I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten caught up in all of this. Two years ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead at a party.
Gabby wasn’t hard to spot when I walked in; she was leaned against Tyler, who was talking to a guy I had never seen before. I started to walk over, but I was cut off. Sara was barely covered in a silver dress. Josie stood behind her, in an outfit almost as ridiculous as her friend’s.
“You didn’t come home last night,” Josie said.
“I stayed with Gabby,” I said, waiting for them to get bored with me and leave. Surely there was another guy in here they could piss on and call claim to.
“You know there’s surveillance cameras all around the house. We can see when people come and go,” Sara piped in. Sometimes I didn’t know if this girl was for real. It was hard to tell. Were there really people out there like her?
“That’s kind of creepy…and cool at the same time,” I said, trying not to laugh too hard at them. It was extremely hard to take the pair seriously.
“Yeah, I may pull it up tomorrow at my job,” she said, and I started walking away. I truly felt bad for them. “At my job in the admissions office,” she finished.
Every fiber of my being wanted to give her the reaction she was hoping for, but I remained calm. What could she say about me? I’d done nothing wrong. But that didn’t stop the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“You made it,” Gabby said, throwing her arms around my neck. “Liam was asking about you.” I looked behind us. The pair was still watching me, as if they were waiting for the confirmation they needed. In that moment, there was no hiding. They knew everything there was to know about me. What they would do with it was up to both of us.
I saw the back of Liam’s head bobbing through the crowd, and I beeline for the bathroom down the hall. Before I made it, I was scooped up in strong
