I narrowed my gaze. "Want to tell me how he knew my name?"
"No. You want to tell me what Scotlyn said in the library?"
"Absolutely not."
He laughed.
"You're a really good boyfriend," I said then caught myself. "Well, fake boyfriend."
"I try my best."
"We should probably kiss. To really sell this, in case anyone is watching from inside the house."
Tolliver grinned. "If you want to kiss me, Freya, you don't have make up a reason."
I leaned forward. "No?"
Tolliver shook his head, meeting me halfway. "You can kiss me whenever you want."
So, I did.
As our lips met, I thought, maybe I did like parties after all.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Our fake relationship ended on a Monday, not with a bang but a whimper.
Mine.
The mental whimper came from me when Tolliver broke the unexpected news.
"You're leaving," I repeated, staring at him, feeling like he was already gone. "For a whole week?"
"Yeah," he said, pushing a hand through his hair, "it's for an out-of-state hockey tournament. Invite only. We leave tomorrow and get back late next Tuesday. Honestly, I kind of forgot about it until now."
"So...you're really leaving."
Tolliver nodded.
"Where's the tournament again?" I asked.
"Michigan."
"So far away..."
Tolliver's shrug was a bit stiff. "Too late to back out now. My parents paid a lot of money for me to go. I had to wait until junior year to even be considered. Didn't get it last time, but this year, they called me up. Hudson's going too. It's an honor to be invited."
"Sounds like it," I said, speaking past the lump in my throat. "I told you you were good."
"You did," he said softly.
"Congrats, Tolliver. You should be proud."
"Mmm. Still, part of me wishes I could stay."
His eyes stared into mine, and I shook myself out of it, sent him a smile.
"Well, I hope you have fun," I said. "You should. It's your summer."
