Page 90 of All Your Pucking Secrets

“You’re a great person. I consider you to be one of my best friends, and I hope you feel the same about me.”

“How many of your best friends do you get paid to spend time with?” she asks tartly.

He sighs. “You fucked up the explanation, didn’t you?” He doesn’t wait for a reply. “Echo, I didn’t get paid for spending time with you. I received a flat rate for watching over you regardless of whether that was from a distance or up close.”

Echo narrows her eyes at me, but an ounce of hostility drains from her. “So why didn’t you do it from a distance?”

Ryan huffs a strained laugh. “Because I liked what I saw. You’re kind and clever, and I needed a friend whose world didn’t revolve around baseball. The first time we talked, I was just scoping you out, but I felt good after spending time with you, so I made a point to do it again.”

Echo’s pinched expression eases a fraction more. “You aren’t a pity friend?”

“You know me better than that.” He sounds exasperated. “I’m the same person. Our friendship just wasn’t quite as organic or accidental as you thought.”

“Hmm.” She’s clearly reluctant to fully believe us, but she’s softening.

“I care about you, Echo. But if you don’t want to see me again, I’ll understand.”

“No,” she says slowly. “Just…give me a chance to get my head around this. I can tell that both of you were coming from a good place when you made this plan, but I still feel like so much of the past three years have been based on a lie. It’ll take me a while to come to terms with that.”

My heart is heavy. Once again, I messed up. Perhaps she would have been better off if I never transferred to Newbury.

“I have to go.”

This time, I don’t stop her as she passes me. The door clicks shut behind her, and only then do I turn. The living room is empty now, except for me.

She’s gone.

“Catch you later.” I end the call and hurry after her. Not to talk, but to make sure she gets home safely. I get into my Audi, which is parked just off the street, and follow her beat-up Ford all the way back to her dorm.

She parks around the side, and I wait until she comes back around the front and enters. Only once the door is firmly shut behind her do I depart. Whatever happens, I won’t leave her vulnerable to being hurt again. I made that mistake once, and I won’t repeat it.

As I pull away, it feels like I’m back where I started. Except now, I’ve had another taste of her. Just enough to remind me of what I’m missing out on.

Somehow, that makes being without her so much worse.

23

ECHO

Someone drops down beside me, but I don’t look over, even though I can feel them staring at me. Instead, I keep my eyes trained on the textbook on my lap. The sun is warm on my shoulders, but the breeze in the university courtyard is just enough to keep me from napping.

“Echo?”

Damn. I should have known better than to think she would take a hint.

I turn toward my new companion. “Hi, Soraya. Did Tyler send you?”

Soraya arches her eyebrows. “As a matter of fact, no. But I did hear that he messed up again.”

My stomach churns. I’m so sick of everyone knowing my business. “I suppose you knew about Ryan before me?”

“Ryan?” For a moment, she seems taken aback, but then her expression smoothes over. “I knew that he had someone keeping an eye on you. I didn’t know who that person was.”

Every goddamn person around me knows more about my own life than I do. I can’t decide whether I’d prefer to bury my face or scream. It’s embarrassing that others know one of my most trusted friends is nothing more than a liar who was using me as a way to make money.

“How many people know?” I ask quietly.

“About Ryan?” She shrugs. “You, me, and those two idiots, if I had to guess.”

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