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“Long time,” Sawyer answers.“Like fourth grade, after I moved to New Jersey from Dallas.”
“Have they always been crazy?”I joke.
Sawyer nods seriously.“Yeah.Bishop’s a bit more level-headed than Quinn or Bryson - my theory is because he’s also got immigrant parents.Bit stricter.Plus the whole coming-out thing; he’s had more time for self-reflection.But Bryson and Quinn have always been off the wall.Especially, Bryson.Some days I still think he was raised by wolves.”
“That’d explain a lot.”
Sawyer pulls a book out of her beach bag and opens it to a bookmarked page.Without looking at me, she says, “You know he’s into you, right?”
I blush and look down.“Er -”
“I get that it’s weird that you’re roommates, but if it’s mutual, for what it’s worth I always thought he’d make a great boyfriend.He’s one-hundred percent not my type,” Sawyer emphasizes, glancing up, “but he’s always treated his girlfriend really well.”
“That’s good to know, right Carleigh?”Molly says pointedly, elbowing me.
I glare at her.“Sure.”I look away, chewing on my bottom lip, and wish I brought headphones so I could ignore Molly.
“Holy shit,” Molly gasps, grabbing my arm.“Something happened, didn’t it?”
Sawyer sets her book down.“Wait, is something actually going on between you two?”
I hesitate.We decided not to tell anyone right away before we could actually figure it out ourselves, but we also agreed not to lie, so I feel stuck.“Er.I - um -”
“Out with it, Murphy,” Molly orders.
I sigh and turn to the side, away from the water, so I can speak quietly to Molly and Sawyer.“You can’t say anything,” I start, making sure to take my sunglasses off and make eye contact, so they know I’m serious.“But I kissed him.”
“What?”Molly shrieks.
“Shut up!”I hiss, looking over my shoulder.The guys are still in the water, far enough away, but still I turn back.“Shh.”
Molly winces.“Sorry.But what?”she half-whispers.“You kissed?When?”
“Yesterday,” I admit.“When we get to get wood.He was being really sweet, and it just kind of ...happened.”
“This is adorable,” Sawyer declares, a wide grin on her face.“He’s so into you, Carleigh.I’ve known him a long time and I’ve never seen him this far gone.”
I duck my head again and my face feels warm.“Yeah?”
“Absolutely.”
“Wait, so are you guys together now?”Molly asks, her hands clasped together conspiratorially.
“I don’t really know,” I answer honestly.“We haven’t time to talk about it.We agreed we wouldn’t say anything unless somebody directly asked, so that we can give ourselves some space to figure it out.”I draw my bottom lip into my mouth and worry it between my teeth.“It’s kind of complicated.He’s my roommate and that works really well, and I don’t want that to be screwed up, but there’s also been kind of a ...thing, I guess you could say, between us for a while now and I can’t ignore it any longer.”I swallow a lump in my throat, feeling my anxiety rise in my chest, and pick at my toenail polish nervously.“Please don’t say anything to anyone.”
“Aw, Carleigh,” Molly says sympathetically.“We won’t.”
“Vow of silence,” Sawyer agrees.
Molly rubs my back.“This is really good.I know your jar is usually half-empty, but trust me.This is really good.”
I nod, trying to let her words sink in.I believe them.I do.
“Don’t look now, but lover boy is headed this way,” Molly whispers.
I immediately clear my throat and try to look normal.I slip my sunglasses back on and stretch my legs out, making a little face to myself at how incredibly pale they look compared to the bright pink of the towel.
Bryson’s shadow reaches me before he does.“Hello ladies,” he says with a big smile, dripping water onto Molly’s feet.“How are things up here?”He squints at me and pushes his unruly curls back from his forehead.
