Page 22 of A Break in Communications

“No prob. It’s what sisters are for.” She looked up past me, and she raised a hand, waving to somebody.

Guess it made sense who she made friends with—she and Kelcey seemed to be on the same wavelength, and Kelcey broke off from where she was talking to Harry from our department and came over with a big smile on her face.

“What’s up, Kelce,” Veronica said, and I almost said something before Veronica hooked her finger into the neckline of Kelcey’s dress and pulled her into what was, unreservedly, unabashedly, a makeout against the table. I stared blankly for a second—Veronica grabbed her butt, and I took that as my cue to leave them to it, turning and getting a glass of champagne on my way back to Anna.

Guess she had said she was looking for someone to smash. Hadn’t thought Kelcey would be the one, but… well, I hoped theyhad fun. Knowing Kelcey’s penchant for talking about things, we’d probably find out.

I found Anna by a column talking with Matthew, a small but genuine smile on her face talking away—seemed she really did have a knack with Matthew, although I was positive she could make anyone like her. I couldn’t imagine anyone in the world messed up enough to not fall in love with Anna Preston. She turned away just as I got up to her, turning to me with that loaded smile as she took the champagne from my hand, her fingers brushing mine.

“Took your sweet time, Masters,” she said, stepping close enough it was a conversation just for the two of us.

“Got distracted talking to your sister. Marched up and inserted herself talking to me, and then stopped just as suddenly to make out against the table with her… date tonight? Date feels like a generous word. She did tell me she was just looking for someone to smash tonight.”

She made a face, holding her glass up to her lips. “So, she found someone, huh.”

“She found someone from our department, no less. Guess she likes to keep it close to the family.”

“Ew. Who was it? Don’t tell me she’s over there grinding on Daniel.”

“Kelcey.”

I said it just as she took a sip, and she spat it back into her glass. “What?”

“Didn’t know Kelcey swung that way.”

“It’s not—Veronicadoesn’t swing that way.”

I raised my eyebrows. “She was certainly… swinging.”

Anna clutched her glass white-knuckled, looking at me through a marble-white face. “I’m sure… it was just Veronica being touchy-feely.”

“Her tongue was visibly in Kelcey’s mouth. And her hands were on Kelcey’s butt. I don’t know about you, Preston, but I don’t do that with someone unless I have plans for them.”

Anna looked like she’d be queasy. “Oh, god. Donottell me my sister is experimenting with Kelcey. Kelcey’s going to tell me every detail of it…”

“I don’t know ifexperimentingis the right word. Looked like she’d, uh, run that experiment a few times already.”

“I—don’t know how to handle this right now. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you. And drink this wine.”

I laughed. “Maybe she experimented in college, too, darling.”

She rolled her eyes, knocking back a long sip of wine before she said, through a barely suppressed smile, “You spend a lot of time thinking about it.”

“Of course. Just from all the pining over you.”

She laughed, softly, under her breath. Odds were she didn’t know I was fully, deathly serious. “Mm-hm. Well, since you’re so curious. I first dated a woman in high school, identified as bisexual, and then started identifying as a lesbian in college and only dated women. Realized I still liked men, just not as much as I do women, so I’m back to bisexual. My sexuality feels fluid. I could see myself identifying as a lesbian again in the future and that would be okay, for me.”

Might have been the first real, genuine thing Anna openly told me about herself. I wanted to write it down, frame it, put it up on my wall. Every word out of her mouth, every banal fact about her life, was like beautiful calligraphy on precious parchment, everything priceless and perfectly placed.

That was probably just me being into her, though.

I wonder if she’d just had enough to drink that she felt like sharing things. I’d still take it. “And you’re still too shy to holdeye contact with a girl and start blurting out about the things you want to put in her mouth—”

“Lucy.” She waved me off, looking pointedly away. “Masters.”

She was absolutely slipping with thatLucymore lately. I sidled closer to her side, putting a hand on her lower back. “So, what’s your type?”

“Ew,” she laughed. “Why are you asking something like that?”

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