Page 21 of Forbidden Obsessions

“Mia, you work faster than the devil.” I swat at her playfully with furrowed brows.

“I didn’t put her up to it,” Mia says, palms raised innocently.

“See? You should come,” she repeats emphatically. Her warm green eyes hold my gaze expectantly.

“Are you all like this?” I ask, shaking my head. “So pushy,” I tsk.

“Guess you’ll have to see for yourself.” She gives me a wry smile and shrugs. There’s an undeniable hint of mischief in her tone. I wonder what I’m getting myself into.

“I promise I’ll consider it,” I relent with a sigh.

“Good girl. You need some more fun in your life,” Mia says, flopping into one of the black leather chairs Dagny just offered up.

“I gotta run,” she says with a wave.

“Nice meeting you, Dagny.” As I pull out the chair, my eyes snag on the gray, tiled floor. I remember that scuff mark.

“What’s with the cheesy grin?” Mia asks, before taking a sip of her lavender latte.

“This table. This was the table Tomas and I sat at after I made the blowjob joke.” Time is a funny thing. While it feels like it was yesterday, it also feels like so much has happened since then.

“Sorry. What did you want to tell me?”

“I, uh, did something,” she says, chewing on her bottom lip. I sip my coffee, the bitter warmth comforting me, as I try to anticipate what she’s about to say. It’s unusual to see her this hesitant. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t adding to my fried nerves.

“I slept with Lex at the cabin this weekend.” She lowers her eyes as I watch her squirm.

“You don’t say.” Her eyes widen as my words register.

“You knew? Did Lex tell you?”

“I was a firsthand witness.”

“Oh, shit,” she mumbles as her cheeks turn rosy.

“I’m not sure why you even felt like it needed to be hidden. You two have had eyes for each other since you met.” Truthfully, I thought the three of them had already hooked up. Lex swore up and down that it hadn’t happened, though.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen, but…” Mia purses her lips, making it clear she has a secret.

“But what?” It may not be her secret to tell, but I saw it. The truth is going to unfold somehow. Might as well spill the tea now.

“Lex asked. She wanted to be with a woman because she thinks she may be a lesbian,” she whispers before taking another long sip.

“Makes sense,” I agree, nodding slowly. Lex and I were always close, but had never experimented. Our parents are so close, and hers are so overbearing. I can understand why she would be nervous about this getting out.

“She wanted to experiment before college, so there would be time to change room assignments if it was too awkward for us to be roommates.” Another wise decision on Lex’s part.

“I won’t say anything. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.” Mia hadn’t framed it as a secret, but I can tell it was weighing on her.

“Thank you,” she sighs, sinking back into her chair.

“Anytime. I’m still thinking about asking Tomas if I can move in with him,” I admit.

“You know we’ll miss you next year, but you can always come home.”

“Thanks, bitch. You’re a great friend,” I say with tears in my eyes.

“You, too, bitch.”

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