Page 57 of The Roommate Lie

How did I forget I was holding his hand?Why does it feel so good?

Jason and Tiffany take a few more steps toward the mine exhibit. I have to do something—anything. I can’t just stand here like a statue while they walk in, but I’m a lost cause. I’m too busy thinking about Charlie and how nice his palm feels against mine.

My ex and his new girlfriend are going to walk right into me in five, four, three, two…

Charlie scoops his arm around my waist and pulls me out of the way. Ducking around the corner from the entrance, he presses my back against the wall in one fluid motion. Cornering me in our new hiding place in seconds flat.

It happens so fast. His movements are seamless with no hesitation, and I can’t help wondering how many times he’s done this before. How often he’s pinned a willing girl against the rock wall of this mine.

That’s not fair.

I’m as bad as the Victorian. Charlie’s only trying to help, but his confidence makes me so nervous sometimes, the effortless way he moves. I’m a fumbling disaster twenty-four seven, but that man owns whatever space he’s in.

Though that’s an Alice problem. Not a Charlie-and-his-past problem.

Voices echo a few feet away. Tiffany and Jason are still right outside, and I flinch. Charlie leans closer. “Don’t worry, they can’t see us back here.”

“How do you know? Do you hide here often?”

“I used to, with Carl and Roxie when we were kids. We’d play hide-and-seek while our mom went to the laundromat.”

That’s such a sweet, pure reason. Charlie doesn’t talk about his family often. I want to hear more, but Jason and Tiffany won’t stop yammering.

“Listen,” she says, “it’s a nice list, but what about the stuff I actually want to do? I’ve mentioned the hot springs to you a dozen times. And the spa. Why aren’t those on your list?”

“It was a rough draft,” Jason grumbles. “You weren’t even supposed to find that list.”

“A rough draft? It looked pretty final to me.”

They’re having a vacation argument. It’s nothing special, but I think I’m supposed to enjoy it more. I think it’s supposed to make me feel victorious. Except I don’t care.

“We’ll be fine,” Charlie whispers, his breath teasing across my skin. “If they come in here, we’ll just pretend we’re making out.”

Very funny, Blythe.

At least that’s what I should be thinking. If my body wasn’t humming with electricity while my mind whisperedyes, please.

A blush flames my cheeks. We’re standing way too close for him to say a thing like that. I know he’s joking—I can hear the smile in his voice—but my body lights on fire anyway, and I wish he wasn’t kidding. I wish a good hiding-place make-out really was our big plan.

Slow down, Alice.

These are not my normal, everyday Charlie thoughts, my normal Charlie feelings. Even yesterday in the guest room, when he was pretending to flirt with me, I didn’t have this many butterflies in my stomach. And the ones I did have made sense—he was pretending to flirt with me.

But he’s not doing anything special today. Whatever I’m feeling, I can’t blame it on him—so I blame our hiding place.

We’re tucked in the tiniest alcove known to man, right around the corner from the mine shaft entrance. If we aren’t careful, Jason and Tiffany will spot us easily. The only way to keep hidden is to stay close. Really close.

Charlie has his forearm braced above me on the stone wall, his body hovering over mine, and I swear I’ve written scenes like this a million times. I just didn’t know how good it would feel in real life. How much I’d enjoy having him surround me like this, the heat of his body radiating over every inch of my skin.

He’s not even touching me, but I can feel him everywhere. My mind goes on an entire journey, but that man hasn’t taken a single step. He’s too busy being as respectful as possible.

Charlie keeps his head turned to the side, his face angled away from mine, giving me as much space as he can in our tiny little hideaway. But I wish he wouldn’t. That man isn’t playing a single dangerous game today, but I’m feeling pretty dangerous all on my own.

“And you know what else is strange about your list?”

I don’t care, Tiffany.I. Don’t. Care.

“Half of it is stuff we’ve already done. Why would you put places we’ve already visited on our vacation to-do list? And why did you wait so long to tell me I needed to take the week off? I asked in the resort office, and they said you had your vacation days scheduled for over a month.”

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