Page 20 of It Was Always You

Raven narrowed her gaze, like she still didn't quite believe us. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she started stacking the remnants of her lunch back on her tray and stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a test I need to study for."

I calledmy mom after dropping Easton and Lexi off at their house. I needed to see if I was welcome to come home yet. Sleeping in my car was much colder now than it had been in October. Winter in New York was not going easy on me.

My mom's voice cut through the line. "If you could stay at your dad's house for just a few more days, maybe until Saturday, that would be nice."

"Saturday?" That was five more days of sleeping in the freezing cold. I'd have to buy myself a second sleeping bag if I was going to last that long in my car.

"That's only a week, Noah. It’ll be good for you and your dad to have that time together, anyway."

Yeah, if only my dad cared enough to have me stay there, instead of thinking I was some punk kid who was always getting into trouble.

But I decided to just let her keep assuming that I was sleeping at my dad's house. Ignorance really was bliss, wasn't it?

"How is Paul treating you? Has he done anything since I left?" I asked. Then I perked up my ears to make sure I heard her tone right when she answered.

"He hasn't done anything again. He's still really stressed, but I think things should get better."

"That doesn't sound very promising, Mom. I don't want him hurting you again."

"We'll be fine."

"IsBrielle okay?"

"She's fine. Everything is fine." And she sounded like she really believed the lie she'd been telling herself for years. "Don't worry about us. Let's just wait to hear back about Paul's promotion and then you can come home."

I sighed and leaned back in my seat. "Okay. But make sure to let me know if things change. I don't want a repeat of last time."

"I appreciate your concern, Noah. But you don't need to worry about us. Paul said he was sorry for that night. It won't happen again."

I really hoped that was true. For everyone's sake.

I hung up the phone and tried to figure out what to do. There were still six hours left before my body would be anywhere near ready to call it a night. And since Easton had work, and Lexi didn't need me for any extra fake-boyfriend duties after school, I decided to use the money my dad had put in my checking account and buy myself another sleeping bag that was better for winter.

It wasalmostlike he was giving me a warm place to sleep this week.

7

LEXI

"I still can't believethat you're dating Noah Taylor!" Juliette raised her dark eyebrows at me. I'd messaged her as soon as lunch got over, and she'd immediately made me promise to FaceTime her as soon as I got home.

I sank down onto my bed next to the Yale poster on my wall—the poster that my dad bought as an incentive and a reminder to not get knocked up like Maddie. This room had been hers and my nephew Grant's before they moved out this summer, and Dad had been paranoid that this room might carry some sort of curse. So the very first things to go up once I switched rooms were the Yale posters and paraphernalia to ward off any teenage hormones that might get awakened through my sister’s influence.

"We aren't really dating. Just putting on a show for everyone," I insisted.

"Yes, but you still get to cuddle with him. That's going to be real." Juliette applied a layer of lip gloss and smacked her lips together. While I was about as nerdy as you could get, she was all about fashion and makeup—which was why her semester abroad in Paris had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that she couldn't pass up.

"Do you think I'm going to have to cuddle with him?" The thought of being so close to Noah sent a nervous jolt through my veins.

"Have to?" Her brown eyes went wide through my phone's screen. "I think 'get to' is a much more accurate description. Those muscles have been known to make girls hyperventilate before."

I shook my head and laughed at her ridiculousness. Yeah, Noah was ripped. And I was pretty sure I'd heard rumors of him being one of the top candidates for the senior class award for best physique, but that didn't mean I needed to pretend like I wanted to see his physique.

Or at least, I didn't need anyone knowing that I might have occasionally sneaked glimpses of him when he and Easton had their hot tub nights on the back deck.

"Do you think it's completely stupid for me to go along with this? I mean, I've never dated a guy before. How am I supposed to know how to fake it? What if he tries to kiss me or something?"

"Then let him kiss you!"

---