Page 112 of The Dollhouse

“Everything okay?” I asked, causing him to do a double-take, as if he’d forgotten we’d made plans to have lunch together again. I was dying to ask if he was texting Willow, but that would blow it all, and I wanted to keep the fact that Willow was my sister as close to my chest for as long as I could.

I didn’t think Willow would tell him we were related. She wanted to keep me and Wyatt separate; I doubted she talked about her family at all to him, not wanting to seem like the typical stuck-up Hillcrest bitch.

Wyatt suddenly realized it was me, and he gave me a smile. “No, no, everything’s fine.” He shut his phone screen off. “Ready?”

“Yep,” I said, and together we got food again, just like we’d done on Tuesday. All the while, I wondered if he’d told Willow he’d already made plans for lunch. Speaking of plans… “Got any hot dates this weekend?” With trays in our hands, we chose a table and sat down, and just like before, Wyatt sat across from me.

He laughed, the skin around his green eyes wrinkling with amusement. “No hot dates… yet. What about you?”

I shrugged and said, “Same, although I wouldn’t say no to a party. Have you gone to any yet? I didn’t really go to many last year, but I heard they can get crazy. Rich kids can let loose just like poor kids, maybe even more since they know their money can get them out of anything.”

“No, I haven’t gone to any yet. Parties aren’t really my style, plus I usually have to spend my weekends catching up on homework and stuff I wasn’t able to do during the week.” Today we’d chosen to share a large pizza, and Wyatt took a slice, eating a few bites as he stared at me.

“So, no girlfriends or anything?” I didn’t say it as nonchalantly as I should’ve, but that was because I wanted him to think I was somewhat interested in him, and asking if he had any girlfriends seemed like an easy way to get it across.

The smile that spread on his face after that was ear-to-ear, and it reminded me of Lake. “No girlfriends,” he said, and as he spoke, I couldn’t stop the pang in my gut when I thought of Lake and how he wasn’t here. Talking to him on the phone every night just wasn’t the same as being beside him.

And then Wyatt said something I was too lost in my own head to hear, so I had to say, “What?”

“I asked if you had any boyfriends I should know about,” he repeated himself, the wide smile on his face still there, like he thought he knew my answer. Oh, Wyatt had no idea of the truth, but I supposed I should let him know I wasn’t exactly the freest person around.

But still let him think he had a chance.

“I, uh… I actually do.” When I said that, his expression fell for obvious reasons, which told me he liked me, and that made me feel good inside. My plan was working. “My life is… complicated. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Really?” He sounded sheepish now, and he reached up and scratched the back of his neck, clearly awkward. “Because I’m thinking I feel like an idiot, hoping you weren’t—but of course you are. I mean, you’re awesome, so why wouldn’t you have a boyfriend?” He was rambling now, and I found it adorable.

“Boyfriends,” I corrected him.

“Right, boyfriends,” he echoed, and then he realized what he’d just said. Wyatt blinked, refocusing on me as he said, “Wait.Boyfriends?” He put emphasis on thesat the end, finally getting it. “As in… more than one?”

“That is what a word being plural normally means,” I deadpanned. Growing more serious, I went on, “Yeah, actually. I have more than one. And before you go judging me, they all know about each other, so I’m not cheating on any of them. I’m not that kind of person.” When Wyatt said nothing, when he only stared, I said, “You are. You’re judging me.”

It took him a while to come back into himself, for him to shake his head and say, “No, no, I’m not. I’m really not. It’s… just… I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone before with more than one significant other, I don’t think.”

I grinned. Well, at least he wasn’t getting up and walking away, right? The mere fact he was still sitting here across from me meant only good things, right? “It’s called polyamory—”

“I know what it’s called, I just… I can’t believe it.” He rubbed his neck again, thinking. “I’m not judging, though, I swear. Whatever’s cool with you is cool with me. I’m the last person to judge anyone for their choices. As long as everyone’s consenting and aware, I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

“They helped me find myself after what happened last year,” I said. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.” I glanced down at my hands. I didn’t take a piece of pizza yet, and I didn’t know if I would. All this talk of my boyfriends made me miss Lake even more. “I know I probably should’ve told you before, but I didn’t know how you’d react. I didn’t want you running for the hills.”

“Why?” Wyatt asked. Maybe he was that oblivious, or maybe he just wanted to hear me say it.

“Because you’re sweet. Because you’re not like everyone else here. Because,” I paused, biting my bottom lip, a gesture he noticed instantly, “I kind of like you. The last thing I want to do is scare you off.”

Wyatt blinked, and his cheeks grew pink. He had to break eye contact, going for his second slice. “Are they… students here, or—” He sounded curious, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to scope out the so-called competition or what.

“No, they’re older.” I thought about bringing Lake up, because he wasn’t too much older than me, but I decided to keep that tidbit of information to myself.

We talked for a while longer. I managed to eat a single piece of pizza, while Wyatt demolished the rest. I wasn’t sure if he ate so much only because the new information he got from me today unsettled him or if he was truly starved. He asked me more about my boyfriends, and I told him whatever he wanted to know, minus a few key details, of course.

Such as the fact that Roman and Carter were assassins, and the fact that they’d killed my ex and had offered to kill my family for me. I also left out the fact that I worked at a strip club, and that I’d gotten shot at said strip club. I left out a lot, but I also told him a lot. Wyatt would know everything he’d need to know to make informed decisions when it came to me.

I walked with Wyatt back to the store, and we stopped just before its wide-open doors. “I hope I didn’t scare you off,” I spoke, giving him a tiny smile.

Wyatt still looked quite awkward, but to his credit, he said, “No, you didn’t. I’m glad you told me, actually. I’d rather know now what I’m working rather than later.” He laughed, but the laugh died off quickly.

“I totally understand if you’d rather not see me again,” I whispered. “I get it’s complicated with me. I know there’s probably a lot of other girls here that would love to talk to you, who don’t already have boyfriends.” I ran a hand through my hair, and his eyes shifted to it. He really did have a thing for the hair, huh? I wished I could take a peek into his brain, see what he was thinking, know where I stood with him.

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