Page 93 of Freshman

Alfie peeked up from the cushion and eyed the soggy pizza boxes balanced on her forearm. “I didn’t hear him.”

Tia narrowed her eyes. “How’d you know it was a him?” She moved into the room and dropped the boxes on the coffee table, then went to hang up her coat.

She paused when she spotted the expensive one from Nate.

“You suddenly developed a fashion sense?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

Alfie shook his head. “I didn’t buy it.”

“Tut-tut, sure hope you didn’t steal it, Mr. Prison Officer.”

Alfie squeezed his eyes shut and breathed out heavily through his nose. When he opened his eyes, Tia was staring at him with her lips in a pout.

“Just as I thought. I’ll put the kettle on.”

“What’s just as you thought?” Alfie asked.

Tia ignored him and went about making them coffee. A few minutes later, the rich scent invaded Alfie’s nose and chased away any phantom fragrance of Nate.

Tia placed the coffees on the table, then sat down heavily on Alfie’s legs.

“Ouch!”

She winked and flicked her dark hair. “Move then.”

Alfie shuffled up begrudgingly and hugged his knees to his chest.

“So the guy from work bought you that, huh?”

Alfie stared across the room at the coat, then nodded with a sigh.

“To keep you sweet? He married? In the closet?”

Alfie shook his head. “I don’t think he’s married—”

“Think? So, you don’t know if he’s married, been married, to a man or a woman…”

“He’s never said.”

There was nothing about marriage in the part of Nate’s file he had read, but he didn’t know what secrets page two held.

“You’re not ill, are you?” Tia said, attaching her pale blue eyes to his.

He immediately looked away. “Well, I feel like shit.”

“But not from a virus. Love sickness.”

Alfie scrunched his face and reached for his coffee.

It burned his lip as he took a sip, and Tia frowned, then took the cup gently from his hand and returned it to the table.

“Tell me what happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, it’s me you’re talking to.” Tia nudged him with her shoulder.

Alfie wrung his hands together. “We—we slept together.”

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