“No. You know what? Forget it.” I turn to leave. “Clearly I’ve been ‘in your brain’ too long.”
He catches my arm. The feel of his hand on my skin is warm and electric andugh!“Wait.”
“What?”
“I…” He runs his other hand through his hair. Makes it worse. “I’m sorry.”
I blink. “You’re what?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… it was stupid. It was several days ago, after Geroge was well,George. I was frustrated and—”
“And what? Decided to ask the internet if you should evict me?”
“I wasn’t actually going to evict you.”
“Oh good. So generous.”
“Poppy.”
“What?”
He steps closer. “You want to know what I really think?”
“Apparently I can read it online.”
“No.” His voice drops. “You can’t.”
“What’s that supposed to—”
“I didn’t write about how you looked that first day. In that blue dress with your hair down. Didn’t mention how you laugh with your whole body. Or how you take care of everyone butyourself. Or how you’re the first person to make me actually want to—” He stops. “I didn’t write any of that.”
I can’t breathe. “Dean.”
“I wrote the safe stuff. The annoying stuff. Because the real stuff would’ve been…”
“What?”
“Too much.”
CeCe clears her throat. “So, uh. I’m gonna go… be anywhere else.”
She disappears. Traitor.
Dean’s still holding my arm. Thumb brushing over my wrist.
“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I messed up.”
“Yeah. You did.”
“How do I fix it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe don’t post about me on the internet?”
“Done. What else?”
“Maybe…” I look up at him. “Maybe tell me the real stuff. Instead of telling Reddit the fake stuff.”
His jaw does the thing. The clenchy thing that makes me stupid.
