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Groaning, I relax against the stainless-steel table behind me and cover my face with my hands.
"Or ... don't?"
"How would you feel about not talking about this with our friends?” I ask, opening my fingers and sneaking a peek at his reaction. “The girls know I have an internship here, but they don’t know we’re working one-on-one."
But there isn't one.
"You mean lie to all our friends about the fact that we're working together?"
"Think of it more as a lie of omission. The girls already know, but I don't think we need to advertise it."
"And the reason for that would be?"
Lowering my hands, I let out a sigh. If I want him to agree, I'm going to have to be honest with him. Might as well get it out of the way so I can decide if I'm going back to my dorm to hide, or to Lo and Kendall's to drink my feelings away.
"If we tell them we're working together, they'll make more of it than there is. Especially since we're going to be spending so much time together. If we tell them I'm also tutoring you, they'll think something more is going on between us. And when the girls realize I skipped tonight because of you, it won't matter that it was because of work; it'll be a bigger deal than it really is."
"What exactly goes on at their apartment?" he asks, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"You can keep your thoughts PG. We snack on junk food and study. Catch up on each other’s lives. It's basically a gossip session while we pretend to do homework."
"No pillow fights? You don't wear lingerie and dance around half naked?"
Julian's attempting to hold back his laugh, but it's too much for him to handle. I smack him in the arm with enough force that my hand stings, but it only causes him to laugh harder.
"Get your mind out of the gutter."
"I can't help it. Max would probably kill me for saying this, but Lo has good taste in friends."
"Why would Max kill you for saying that?"
"Because as a guy, he would know what I was talking about. Every single one of you is gorgeous. Including Willow. And the moment he realizes I'm including her in that statement is the moment his fist meets my face."
Julian thinks I'm gorgeous.
Well, he thinks all my friends are gorgeous. And he's grouping me together with them.
I need to change the subject because I can feel the heat in my cheeks.
"We're not supposed to be talking about Max right now," I state, hopping onto the table, my feet aching in relief. Heeled boots wouldn't have been my first choice in footwear had I known I was going to be standing in one place all night, pivoting back and forth but never really walking anywhere. "Can you agree to keep this a secret or not? I've already told the girls, but I know they'll keep it to themselves if I ask them to. And I'll be honest with them about why. Because if you plan to run your mouth, I want to tell everyone now. That way they don't think we're hiding it for other reasons."
"You realize guys don't gossip the way girls do, right?"
"Yes, you do. Except instead of gossip, you call it talking. So answer me this. Can you keep my name out of your mouth? Can you not inform anyone in our circle that we're working together? Including your roommate."
"I think I can handle that," he says, taking a step toward me, his eyes locked on mine. "As long as you don't tell anyone I failed a class. I have a reputation to uphold, you know."
Another step and he's within reach. If I wanted, I could grab the front of his coat and pull him between my legs.
But I don't want to do that.
Because we're keeping this platonic. The way it should be. Because we're just friends. And co-workers. Well, technically he's my boss.
"And failing a class will knock you down the popularity ladder?"
This time when Julian takes a step toward me, it's to my side. When he leans back against the table next to where I'm seated, I have to suppress the shiver that threatens my entire body. Even after hours of cooking and sweating, he still smells divine.
"I don't fail. It's not what I do. I know I shouldn't be ashamed of it, that it happens to everyone, but I am. So I'll keep this a secret from the guys," he says, motioning between us before continuing, "as long as you keep my failure a secret."
