Page 61 of Tell No Lies

Confusion turned to relief. “You scared me! I thought something bad happened.”

“Something awful, almost unforgivable did happen.”

“My text.” His thick brows rose instantly.

“Your four a.m. text. Your four a.m. text that was not an emergency that woke me up and caused this!” I pointed at my face, waving my finger around. “I look like death because you couldn’t wait a few hours.”

His laughter caught the attention of the group around us. “Babe, you look great. I’m sorry I woke you up.” He reached for my hands and held them to his chest. “I asked Brandon about it last night, and I saw his reply when I woke up for my workout. I didn’t think it would wake you up. I just assumed you would see it when you woke up.”

My attempt to continue glaring at him was failing fast.

“Stop scowling. It will cause wrinkles, then you’ll blame me for that too.” His laugher was shaking his body as he pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my forehead. When he did things like this, it made it really, really hard to stand my ground. Every time I got upset with something he did, I ended up being the one who felt guilty.

Mike always had the best intentions. He did things he thought would make me happy or keep me safe. When he asked me to skip dance, he’d actually just wanted to be able to keep an eye on me. Waking me up in the middle of the night had just been his excitement about being able to go on a date. Somehow, I’d ended up being the one in the wrong each time.

“Let’s get to class, stinker.” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile. Big scary Mike was my personal teddy bear.

☼ ☼ ☼

Not only had Mike convinced Brandon to let me out on the town, but he’d gotten him to go on a double with us. This meant he was home before me. There was no danger and no injuries, and my brother was actually home at a normal hour. Amazing.

“Hi, wee one.”

I stuck my tongue out at him on my way to the fridge. “What are you doing here, stranger?”

“I almost said no when Mike asked me about this, but the thought of disappointing him was too much.”

“You two have a sick relationship.”

“Don’t be jealous. Liv and I haven’t been able to go out in a while, so it was a perfect offer.” He walked past me and into his room. “Be ready in thirty!”

Thirty minutes? Showering, blow-drying, makeup … that would be at least an hour! I dropped the water bottle I was holding and sprinted into my room, ripping off my clothes on the way.

I’d just finished in record time when Brandon knocked on my door. “Ready? Mike is here, and we’re picking Liv up on the way.”

It was funny to think about when I first got here and went out with Mike for a date to restore my faith in men. I had been so nervous about what to wear and how to do my hair, and I’d barely known him. Now I was comfortable enough with him to know he didn’t care how I looked. He was always complimenting me, and just the way his gaze lingered on me gave his feelings away. Looking back on how much effort I’d put in that night, it seemed so pointless.

I walked into the living room and caught Mike’s stare. His smile reached his eyes as he took me in. “Hi there, beautiful.”

There it was. “Hi.”

“Alright, you two. Let’s get going.”

“Where are we going? I haven’t even heard the plans yet.”

Mike met me by the front door and slipped his fingers through mine. “We’re going to get Liv.”

I elbowed him quickly. “I’m aware. After that?”

“It’s somewhere you’ve never been, Aubrey.”

I looked between Mike and Brandon. Since when were they on the same team?

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll have fun. I promise.” Mike squeezed my hand in an attempt to reassure me, I was sure.

“Just get in the car.” Brandon was getting into the driver’s seat and Mike held the passenger door open for me.

“I don’t want to make him feel like a chauffeur.” Maybe Liv had a better idea of what was going on. I wasn’t one for surprises anymore, and even though I was as safe as I could be with my brother and my boyfriend, I still felt anxious.