Page 54 of Glamour & Gumballs

Ev finished soon after him.

Twenty minutes later, I was on a boat with both of them, feasting on shrimp tacos.

I didn’t even like shrimp, but I was so hungry I didn’t care.

When we were done eating, I leaned up against the boat’s railing, watching the clear ocean on the horizon as we continued on. The wind blew through my ponytail, my hickey still on display though no one had mentioned it.

“So,” Ev said, stepping up next to me.

Julian hadn’t come anywhere near me since we left the jungle together. Which meant I needed to play the next few hours very carefully. It would be too easy for me to help Ev realize I wanted Julian out.

“So,” I replied.

He chuckled. “That’s a nice accessory you’ve got there.”

I shot him a quick frown before looking back out at the water. Though I was pretty sure I knew what he was saying, I was going to make him spell it out. “What are you talking about?”

“The mark on your neck.”

My forehead creased. “What?”

We didn’t have a mirror on the island, so my cluelessness could totally be realistic.

Ev lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

He gestured to his own neck. “You’ve got a hickey.”

My eyes flew open.

My face flushed.

I lifted a hand to the same side of my neck he’d gestured to.

“Other side.”

My face flushed hotter, and I lowered my hands.

“Secrets can be hard to keep,” he said. “Want to tell me the truth?”

I scowled at him, my face still warm as I looked away. “Screw off.”

“Julian’s been pretty quiet.”

“Everyone’s been pretty quiet,” I shot back.

“Not everyone.”

I clenched my jaw and said nothing.

“If you tell me the truth, I can try to save him,” Ev said.

I didn’t believe him.

And even if I did, I wouldn’t have told him the actual truth. There was no way he’d believe me if I “opened up” anyway. He was looking for me to do something out of character, to prove to him that I was lying.

So, I stayed quiet.

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