Page 31 of Tongue-Tied

But he’s treating tonight like a real date, and I don’t know if I can pull it off with him. We know each other too well.

It might be fun, though, if only I could relax. The whole texting thing this week has added to the tension, as if we truly are getting to know each other for the first time.

Stop obsessing about it.

As I fix my hair, pushing it back from my forehead since both Dex and Kael mentioned they like it that way, Kael asks from his perch on his bed, “What are you wearing?”

I head to the closet and pull out a hanger. “One of the new shirts I bought with my mom.”

When I hold it in front of me in the mirror, he says, “Good idea.”

I do a double-take at his expression. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because I think you’re gonna have a good time regardless. You’ll be with your best friend, and I know how much you care about him.”

“I do care about him.” I catch his gaze in the reflection. “But this is no different from when we normally hang out together.”

He arches a brow. “You sure it’s not different? You’ve been glued to your cell every night.”

“Not more than usual.” I busy myself with the buttons. “Guess Dex continues to surprise me.”

“He made it fun, and that’s a good thing.”

“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “It doesn’t help explain why I’m wound so tight.”

He grins deviously. “It just means his plan is working.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It will.”

13

DEX

Holy shit, this is more nerve-racking than I thought it would be.

Maybe the texts were a stupid idea. No turning back now, though. I’m already at my old dorm and heading up the stairs to pick Austin up for our fake outing. Or practice date. Whatever we choose to call it.

I inhale a deep breath in front of his door and tell myself I’m just helping out my best friend. Nothing will backfire on me this time. I lift my hand and knock.

He’s stiff and shy when he opens the door and can barely look at me.

Okay, that’s actually not a bad thing. It means he’s taking this seriously.

“For you,” I say and hand him a real poppy this time—a pink one. “I figure we can replay the other night. Like a do-over.”

“I, uh…” he sputters. “I love the color.”

About to say, duh, I know you, I change course. “The pink was a guess.”

I won’t tell him how long it took me to find fresh poppies, but Luco Flowers came through for me.

“Well, it’s a good one.” I’m enjoying the flush on his cheeks as he opens the door wider and I step inside. I feel a pang in my chest, not because I used to live here, but because there’s nothing left of me here. All of Kael’s things are on my side of the room.

Speaking of Kael, he’s wearing a sweatshirt that reads Under Construction with a trans flag across the front.

“The flower is definitely a nice touch,” he says with a roguish grin, and I can’t help smiling back because he’s a good guy. My underlying jealousy has nothing to do with him.

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