Page 78 of All The Ways to Miss You

“Ha-ha. Very funny. And that’s not even true.”

“Denial is the first sign of proof.” She repeats the same words I said to her a week ago and bumps her shoulder into mine.

“Chill, woman. This is the way to the roof.”

I cross the room, draw back the curtains, and open a slider, revealing a small landing outside. She seems more at ease when we step through, leaving the bedroom. We climb a spiral staircase and emerge onto a huge rooftop deck. I flip on the outdoor heat lamps to warm the space. Up here, we’re just above the surrounding trees, like a private tree house.

“That view is, like, wow.” She leans on the railing, entranced by the city skyline.

I open the bottle with a pop before pouring two glasses of wine.

“So, how does bringing me to your brother’s house prove you’re a fun guy?” She faces me with her arms spread wide, leaning back against the railing.

“It’s just a place to kill time. We have to be somewhere else in an hour.”

“Care to share?” She approaches and accepts a glass of wine before settling beside me.

“It’s a surprise.” The one I originally planned for tonight.

She sets her glass down and focuses on it for a moment as if she’s gathering her thoughts. “So, Steph told me you lied.”

My hand clenches the stem of the glass. I should have known Steph would gossip about my crush as soon as she had the chance. That I had noticed Cait long before she moved in, that I liked her more than I care to admit, and it was not necessarily about finding a roommate.

“I’ll strangle her.” I suck down several gulps of wine, preparing for the backlash.

“Why? What you did, it was nice.”

My face crinkles in confusion, but she’s still talking.

“I appreciate what you’re doing, but now that I know, I can’t let you pay for half my rent. That’s crazy. I’ll work more hours to cover my half.”

At first, I’m relieved Steph didn’t rat me out, but annoyed she told Cait this. Though it makes me look good, it’ll be a burden on Cait, and I didn’t want that. I shake my head, not interested in her money. “No way. A deal’s a deal.”

“We’ll see. But my question is, why did you do it?”

“Um . . .” Here’s the part I don’t want to admit—that I would have done anything to get to know her better. So I devise an alternate but honest truth. “I know what it’s like to be snubbed by parents.”

“So you do know who my parents are?”

I recall what Steph mentioned about her, something about her parents in politics. I think of Cait’s last name—London. Holy shit.

My heads swings to her. “You’ve been calling me a rich, spoiled brat all this time and Senator London is your mom? And your dad is a federal judge? Are you serious? Don’t they own half of DC?”

“Takes one to know one.” She smirks.

“So, here’s my question. What did you do to piss them off?” I place my glass on the table and lean back, one arm draped across the back of the couch behind her.

“I transferred from Georgetown to Northwalton and changed majors. They didn’t like that much, but I needed to get as far away from them as possible.” She stares at her folded hands.

“See, my parents did the opposite. They moved to New York to get away from me.”

“That can’t be true. Haven’t they seen your superb beer-can pyramid-building skills?” She moves to face me.

“That’s part of the issue. They’d like it if I were more like you.”

“And my parents would like it if I were still uptight-and-neurotic me, but times ten.”

“Don’t forget focused, goal oriented, and driven,” I say conspiratorially.