Page 148 of Show Me

I stand on the porch beside Xavier, laughter spilling through the door. His shoulder brushes mine, light, familiar, and I don’t move away.

We came together, but we’ll sit separately. We won’t give anyone a reason to ask questions we won’t answer.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

The door swings open before we knock.

“Finally!” Bella grins, pulling me into a hug that smells like vanilla and wood smoke. “You’re late.”

“We’re not late,” I say into her shoulder. “You’re early.”

Dominic steps in behind her, clapping Xavier on the shoulder. “Good to see you.”

“You too.”

The living room is already full. Sam is stretched across one end of the couch, Ben arguing with him from the other, Jake leaning against the wall with Emily tucked into his side, Caleb perched on the arm of a chair like he’s moving in.

“Ruby!” Caleb lifts his glass. “You survive living with this guy’s schedule?”

“Barely.” I smile as I step further inside.

Xavier veers toward the kitchen with Dominic and Ben without looking at me. Like always. Like we planned.

As far as everyone in this room is concerned, he’s only staying with me because of the break-in. Not because we’re together.

It shouldn’t bother me, but it does. I want it not to because when we’re alone, there’s no question he’s all in. But the second we take that first step out the door, all the doubts creep in like mist swirling in every direction, sucking the air out of my lungs.

I slide in beside Emily, her hand squeezing mine once before she lets go.

“You okay?” she asks under her breath.

“Yeah.”

Emily doesn’t ask any more questions. She knows the answers will be lies—or vague half-truths.

Even though I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, Bella and Emily know. Or know a part of it anyway. They knew we’d had sex before we defined/didn’t define our togetherness. But since then, I’ve kept them in the dark about what’s going on between us. Because he asked me to.

I swallow over the lump in my throat. It’s fine. We’re fine. He’s not going anywhere. I repeat the words in my head to ease the clawing sensation in my chest.

Across the room, Xavier laughs at something Sam says. It carries, low and easy, the same way it always does. He doesn’t look at me. I don’t look at him. We’ve gotten good at this.

Bella claps her hands. “Okay, before the boys ruin the night. Ruby has something to tell us.”

I turn toward her. “Bella–”

Too late. I’d planned to speak to them in privacy, not announce my plans in front of everyone. Heat creeps up my neck, flows over my cheeks, and makes me want to fan myself.

Emily’s already leaning forward. “What is it?”

I let out a breath, pushing back from the couch. “I’ve been taking general studies for an associate’s degree the last couple of years and will be done at the end of this semester. And I’m thinking about enrolling in vet tech classes next semester.”

“Oh, my God.” Emily grabs my hands.

Bella’s eyes go wide. “Ruby!”

Sam leans forward. “Like… animals?”