Honey

“Hey, partner.” Brett smiles, slinking into the seat next to me. I don’t bother looking at my biology partner but greet him with an annoyed grunt instead. He’s late for class, but since he’s a football player, he gets a pass during the season.

“Brett, you good?” I ask with my chin resting on my palm while I write our notes. His bulky body pushes against my shoulder as he gets his books out, and I just roll my eyes.

“Yeah, I’m great,” he drawls out, but he doesn’t sound great. Dragging my eyes away from our assignment, I’m met with Brett’s sweaty brow and ruddy cheeks.

Groaning, I look him up and down, scooting my chair to the side. “Oh no, did you forget to shower after practice again?” Pinching my nose, I don’t inhale. He can smell particularly ripe after a long morning practice, and he knows I hate it.

Brett watches me squirm for a few seconds before chuckling softly. He runs a hand through his hair, which looks wet, and I can only hope it’s because he had a shower. “Don’t worry, Hon. I did.” His eyes dart around the room, and if I didn’t know him better, I’d say he was acting nervous.

He drops a pencil and still refuses to make eye contact. I glance down and check that I’m not accidentally flashing him. Nope, myshirt is neatly buttoned and everything is pressed to perfection—as my mother expects.

Rolling my eyes, I surprise him when I rest my hand on his shoulder. “Then why are you acting all jittery? Did you take some Adderallor something?” I ask, expecting the truth and knowing I’ll get it. Brett’s a nice guy, if not a little naive. Like an overeager Labrador.

He gives me a crooked smile and adjusts his tie. “No Adderalltoday. I save that for big test days when I need to concentrate. I actually had a question for you, but I’m not sure if it’s considered out of line or not.”

Raising a brow, I watch him carefully. “Well, the only way you’re ever going to find out is if you ask.” I fiddle with the pen in my hand, waiting for the question. I’ve already prepared myself for some stupid question about Jamie.

He runs a hand through his hair, then wipes the wetness down his blazer, leaving a trail of dark navy down the fabric. “It’s about you and Zach.”

My body sags, and I blow out a slow breath because I could only wish that Brett’s question was about Jamie. The answers to questions about Jamie are simple, easy even. But with Zach, things are more complicated. My body prickles at the mention of his name, and I know it’s stupid, but I still can’t stop thinking about him. His touch, his kiss, his smile… It’s all so confusing. We’ve been fake dating for a little over two weeks, and we’ve got at least two more months to go. Two months I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle if he keeps making me feel like this.

“What about us?” I ask with trepidation. I hope he doesn’t ask me about anything too personal. I don’t exactly want to explain to Brett that I can’t think about Zach without getting horny, because it makes me look pathetic. The guy nearly brought me to orgasm without trying, a feat Jamie couldn’t do once. I like the way he makes me feel, but there’s still this nagging feeling inthe back of my mind that there’s something he’s not telling me. Something important about his home life, and I so badly want to ask, but I know it’s not my place.

Brett scratches the back of his neck before dropping his hand to the table. “Are you guys actually dating?”

My heart stops for all of two seconds as I try to maintain a face of nonchalance. Did he not see us at Eric’s party last weekend? Was all that effort for nothing? Jamie at least saw the start of the kiss, so maybe he hasn’t mentioned it to anyone else. I guess it wouldn’t look good on him if people found out his ex got over him quicker than Usain Bolt running a one-hundred-meter race.

“Of course we are. Why would you think otherwise?” I sound prickly, but I don’t care. I need to know why he thinks like that.

Shrugging, Brett opens his laptop, seeming less anxious. “Don’t know. I’ve just heard these rumors about Zach over the years that made me wonder if he was open to dating anyone here.”

“And what rumors are you referring to?” Is Brett going to tell me about the bet? He bites his bottom lip, still a little hesitant. “Come on, Brett. You can’t say something like that and not expect me to want to know.”

“I heard he has a girlfriend back at home,” he spits out, and I swallow the large lump in my throat. That girl in Zach’s house and all my questions come to mind. “There’s a theory that he’s just using you to annoy Jamie.”

Pushing my laptop out of the way, I cross my arms and look Brett square in the eyes to see just how much he knows. He’s right, Zach’s using me, like I’m using him, but he’s still not opening up about the bet.

“And who told you that? Jamie?” His silence answers everything, and I shake my head. “I wonder why Jamie is so interested in my love life when he’s the one that cheated on me and treated me like a dirty rag.”

Brett pauses for a second, looks down to the table, then back to me. Will he come clean and tell me the only reason Jamie is spreading these rumors is because there’s a bet and fifty grand riding on my choice?

“Jamie’s just concerned. Zach’s our teammate, and we know more about him and his intentions. We just want to look out for you.”

I hold back a bitter laugh, ready to give Brett a piece of my mind. How dare he say they want to look out for me? If he cared, he wouldn’t have let Jamie cheat on me for all those years and say nothing.

“Miss. Sanderson, Mr. James. Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?” My eyes flick to our professor, and I pull my laptop closer.

“Sorry, Mrs. Thompson. We were just talking about the assignment,” Brett coos, and I swear he winks at her.

She narrows her eyes but continues talking, letting us off the hook. Brett spends the rest of class looking over my shoulder and copying my notes. When the bell rings, I push my chair, ready to leave, but Brett stops me.

“Honey. About earlier.” Shutting my laptop, I raise my brow. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to offend you.” Yeah, because you’re still trying to date me so you can win a bet. “I was just trying to understand if you and Zach were serious after everything that went down between you and Jamie.”

I take a deep breath, push out the air, and zip up my bag. “Come on, Brett. You know me. When I’m into someone, I’m into them. I don’t half-ass anything.”

He smirks. “You’re right; you’ve never not been one hundred percent in. Do you remember when you reamed my ass for not taking my lines seriously during our winter play?”