Page 61 of Level Up

“Well, not really, but it kind of feels like it.”

She put a hand to her chest and let out a relieved “wooh.” “Okay, take it from the beginning. And don’t give me a damn heart attack doing it.”

It wasn’t a terribly long story, but it still took me some time to fully get out.

“Damn,” Maddy said. She slumped back onto her bed and kicked out her feet. Outside, a pack of kids must have just made it back from the bar because they were laughing loud enough to wake up the dead. “That isn’t great, but it’s also not totally terrible either. Jeez, you theater kids love the drama, don’t you?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that,” I said. “Seriously, though, it’s way too early in our relationship to be having any kind of trust issues. He hid this from me.”

“But only for a short time,” Maddy tentatively offered. She propped herself up on an elbow, the cheap mattress dipping toward her. “And I can kind of see why he was nervous to tell you.”

“I don’t want him to be nervous about telling me anything. And why can you see that, anyway?” I arched a brow. I was feeling spicy, which wasn’t great when it was mixed with feeling hurt.

“Because of how you’re acting right now. Listen, I feel like we’re close enough that I can point things out to you. And right now, you’re being way too harsh.”

That made my eyebrows jerk halfway up my face. “I haven’t been too harsh, Madds. All I’ve done is leave him alone in our dorm while I think things through. That’s hardly harsh.”

Maddy pursed her lips. She wasn’t buying it. And frankly… neither was I.

Damn it. Leave it to a best friend to hold up a mirror directly in front of your face.

I massaged the nape of my neck. Where only a couple of hours ago, Ryan had his hand, supporting my head as I blew him. That had been literally the hottest thing to have ever happened to me. I hated how the night had a stain on it, now.

I dropped my head, feeling the weight stack on my shoulders. “Even if I were to pull a full one-eighty and say that it’s all fine, it’s still going to be an issue when people start finding out. Who’s going to go to our protest, then? We’ll probably get counterprotesters.”

“That is a bit of an issue,” Maddy admitted, giving me at least one win. “But you know what would draw people in and solve that problem?”

“A chance at an hour-long lap dance from Chris Hemsworth?” I offered.

Maddy laughed and gave a wave of her hand. “Oh, babes, I only need a couple minutes with that marvelous god. No, I was thinking more like getting the son of Redpine Global’s CEO involved in our protest. Openly. Now, that would draw attention.”

I cocked my head at that. It was like getting hit with a comet falling directly out of the clear blue sky. I hadn’t thought of that, but I also quickly saw a few issues with her idea. “I don’t want to put him in that position,” I said, already beginning to strike it off the list of possible solutions. “He was already upset he fought with his dad. If he drew massive attention because of attending a protest, then I think that relationship would be totally ruined. And I don’t think he wants that. And I wouldn’t want to be the catalyst for something like that, either.”

Maddy chewed her bottom lip. “Shit. You’re right. Should you maybe ask, at least?”

“I don’t know… I don’t know what to do, Madds. Everything was going great. So damn great. Way better than I ever thought. And now this.”

“It doesn’t have to be ruined,” Maddy said. She put a hand on my hand and squeezed. Her presence was definitely a comfort.

“Maybe you should call him.”

“I… you think so?”

“Babes, I think that if you don’t call him you’re going to feel the same kind of regret a drag queen feels when they forget to glue down their lace.”

I couldn’t fight back the laugh. I had a choice to make; that part was clear.

And I knew exactly which choice I wanted.

I pulled out my phone and called him.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ryan

I paced in a circle around our dorm like a caged lion. Anxiety built up inside me, my entire body buzzing as if my skin was covered in tiny, invisible ants. I looked at the bed, where only a few hours earlier, Jay and I were having the time of our lives. It had practically been a religious experience. I saw God the moment I’d gone inside him, and I didn’t ever want to stop worshipping at his altar.

And him at mine.

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