Page 66 of Lunar Crest University

Her face twists into a grimace. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“I might,” I breathe.

“Well, do it over there.” She points to a nearby trash can. “Don’t you dare vomit on my Steve Maddens.”

For a moment, I’m shocked she’s nothing like I thought she was. At all. In fact, I feel like I can understand her, even. But the bile rises further in my throat at the thought, because that means we’re similar: getting with someone way older than we are whoshouldbe off-limits because we could get expelled. Someone could get fired. I have more in common with Genevieve Pierce than I’d ever like to admit, and…

No. I’m going to be sick. Quit.

As she steps forward to be next in line for the TSA checkpoint, she throws a wink over her shoulder at me.

“What was that about?” Luca’s voice sounds next to me, and I jump for the second time today.

“Youscaredme,” I hiss.

His head lowers, his eyebrows pulled tightly together as his eyes dart across my face. “Are you okay?”

“Do you really want to know?”

I make my way through TSA before he can respond, keeping my head down as much as possible as they scan me and sift through my bags. A sigh of relief builds in my chest as I wait for them to okay me, and it practically bursts from my lips as soon as I’m on the other side. Luca wastes no time hurrying through the line to get to me, and I can see the frustration written all over his face as they make him take off his shoes and check his bag a second time.

I’m stalling, but I don’twantto tell him. I don’t want to give him a reason to end this, and that’s selfish of me, Iknow. This week was perfect. I want to cling to it for as long as I possibly can, but I also need to be honest with him—he’s been honest withme.

He’s nearly out of breath by the time he gets to me. “Yes, I want to know. What’s going on, Finley?”

“She knows.”

Turning to walk in the direction of our gate, I pull my carry-on luggage behind me. Luca rushes to keep up with me, and I can hear the heavy breaths he takes as he starts to panic too.

“What?” he says lowly, his hand grasping my arm to slow me down. “Who knows? What do they know?”

People are already starting to board the plane as we arrive at our gate, and I see Genevieve at the beginning of the line, scanning her ticket before she disappears through the boarding bridge. As we get into the line, I bite at my lip as I turn to peek up at him from under my hat. His dark eyes are wide as they stare down at me expectantly.

“Genevieve knows aboutus.”

His head drops as he puts his hand on his hip. “Fuck.”

It’s quiet, probably meant to be under his breath, but I heard it. I try to swallow down the stinging ache in my throat, but it doesn’t help. I can feel heat behind my watery eyes, and I know my body is trying to run a fever.

“Fuck?” I repeat feebly.

“How do you know that she knows?” He pinches the bridge of his nose.

I stare at him, willing him to look up at me, but he doesn’t. He keeps his eyes on the ground, one hand on his hip and the other rubbing his face anxiously. Nodding slowly, I wrap my arms around myself as I twist on my heel to face forward again.

“Finley,” he pleads.

“Because she told me,” I grumble, walking up to the staff member scanning tickets and showing her mine.

As soon as the tiny beep sounds, I march off with my stuff down the boarding bridge, hoping to create as much distance as possible between the two of us. I don’t feel good, and the last thing I want to do is argue with him. Regret fills my veins for even bringing it up to him at all. I should’ve lied and told him I was okay.

“You’re just going to drop a bomb like that without any more detail?”

He catches up to me with ease, and I silently curse the way he can match my fast-paced walking with measly, long strides.

“She said she isn’t going to tell anyone.” I sigh.

“And you just trust her?”

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