Page 49 of That Secret Something

I rolled onto my side, my legs still shaking, and looked at her. I bit back a smile. “You’re such a doofus.”

“A doofus? All that reading you do, and that’s the best descriptor you can come up with?”

“I barely have time to read now.”

“I’m sorry, are you complaining?” She scooped an arm underneath me, repositioning me so I was lying on top of her. Her hands drifted slowly up my back, making the hair rise on my skin.

I looked deep into her beautiful eyes, feeling the rise and fall of her chest underneath me. “Not complaining at all.”

And I really wasn’t. This kind of relationship was what I’d spent my time reading about and wishing for.

Except this wasn’t a real relationship, was it?

“What’s your favourite book?” she asked, her fingertips making slow circles on my lower back.

“The Afterlove of Her.”

“Wow. You didn’t even take a second to think about that.”

“I don’t need to—it’s my favourite.”

Rebecca smiled that stomach-fluttering grin of hers. “I can see why it would be your favourite.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The heartache, the unrequited love, the bittersweet, tear-jerker of an ending.”

“Wait, you’ve read it? I didn’t know you like reading.”

She chuckled. “I don’t know if I should be flattered by the surprise or be offended by it.”

I rubbed my hands over her strong shoulders, feeling a twinge low in my belly. “No, no, I just…didn’t know, that’s all.”

“There’s probably a lot you don’t know about me.”

She meant it as a playful comment, but the words grouped together like stones sinking in my mind. I tried to push them away. Enjoy the moment. Don’t get caught in your head.

“Hey,” Rebecca started. “What’re you doing this weekend? We’ve got a quarter-final game if you’re not busy.”

I couldn’t hide the surprise on my face. “You’re inviting me to your hockey game?”

She shrugged. “Just mentioning it. If you had some time to kill, it might be a good match.”

Rebecca wanted me to go and watch her play? Excitement swelled deep inside. That had to mean something, right? Had she invited any of her other flings before? The feeling cut out, dipped, and died, as I remembered my date with Jade. “Oh, I can’t. I actually have plans this weekend.”

“You do?”

Now it was my turn to be offended. “And why is that so surprising?”

“It’s not. I was just…yeah.” She looked away, drumming her fingers into the bedsheets. “Never mind. Probably not the best idea, anyway.”

Okay, that hurt. I blinked, trying to prevent the hot pricking behind my eyelids. Don’t cry, Jess. Don’t cry. I lifted myself off her, muttered something about going to the bathroom, and shut the door behind me.

Reality seized me, like someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water over my head. All the excitement and elation from earlier quickly drained away.

I sat on the toilet, sucking in a few shaky breaths. The fact that the comment had bothered me so much was exactly why I shouldn’t be going to her game. I needed to distance myself from Rebecca if I was going to get out of this arrangement in one piece—spending time with Jade this weekend was the perfect way to do that.

I could do that. I was capable.

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