It’s so early I don’t bother looking around as I step into the hall and pull my hood up.
I wasn’t sure I’d like sharing a bed with West, but that was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time, and we’re definitely going to be doing that again now that I know how much I enjoy waking up with him.
26
WEST
“Areyou going to tell me what’s going on?” Damon asks.
I look up from the textbook I’m reading, or at least trying to read. “What do you mean?”
He studies me for a few beats. “I know you’re hooking up with someone.”
I look back down at my textbook, the words swimming on the page. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you’ve been avoiding me for weeks. And I saw a guy come out of your room just after seven in the morning last week when I went to see if you wanted to get breakfast before our class.”
I freeze, his words washing over me like a wave of icy water. Oh shit. Did he see Ant leave my room after he spent the night?
“And that’s enough for you to decide I’m sleeping with this guy?” I ask, trying to sound light and breezy and not like I’m internally panicking.
“Normally, no. But he was wearing your hoodie.”
“How do you know it was mine?”
“Because I saw you the night before and you were wearing it.” He chews on his lip ring, clearly deciding what to say next.“You don’t owe me any explanations, and you don’t even owe me the truth, but you’ve been acting weird lately, and it makes sense that you’d hide whatever is going on after the McKenna thing and your family and all the gossip. I get it.” He flicks his lip ring with his tongue a few times. “But you’re my best friend, and I guess I just want you to know that you can talk to me about whatever is going on.”
“Goddamnit.” I close my textbook with a loudsnap. “You know I can’t hide shit from you when you pull the best friend card like that.”
He shoots me a little smirk, but it melts into concern when I toss my textbook aside and scrub my hand through my hair.
“I’ve kind of been hooking up with someone,” I say, not sure how to even unpack everything that’s been going on. “It’s just a fuck buddy thing, but that’s why I’ve been so distant and weird lately.”
“Is that who I saw come out of your room?” he asks.
I nod.
“Can you tell me who he is?”
I chew on my lip as indecision wars inside me. Anthony told me he doesn’t care if people find out about us, and Damon isn’t just people. And I really need someone I can talk to about everything that’s been going on.
“Do you promise not to tell anyone? Not even Xave?”
He nods quickly. “I promise.”
“It’s Anthony.”
He stares at me for a few seconds like he’s frozen in place, then he blows out a low whistle. “Jesus. Complicated, party of two.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Between the McKenna thing and him being one of our leaders next year, it’s definitely complicated.”
“And it’s just a casual thing?”
“Not even that,” I correct quickly. “It’s just a friends with benefits thing.”
He gives me a dubious look. “Really?”
“Really,” I insist, but I know why he’s so skeptical.
