Page 93 of The Friend Zone

Excitement made me forget the boundary she established when she sat down, putting distance between us. By the time I’m done showing her the slideshow on my tablet, our thighs are touching, and our arms are brushing against each other.

“Don’t you see?” I’m so excited, I can’t take it. “When I told my dad about what happened to the Zeta house, he offered to build one for you. One of our new, pioneering houses.”

If I was expecting to see Bay jump with joy, I’m sorely disappointed.

A frown appears on her pretty face. “That’s very kind of him, but there are dozens of laws any new house on campus has to abide by. Besides, I can only imagine the price tag on these cutting-edge houses. Like I told you, the insurance refused to pay a cent when the fire was deemed arson. The police have already been in touch with me. They want to interview every Zeta.”

I throw caution to the wind and take Bay’s small, soft hand into mine. “You don’t understand. It won’t cost you a cent. As long as you agree to let the company use the house as a pilot project to show the world what they didn’t know they wanted and needed until now. It won’t be anything too invasive, I promise. And of course, my father would love to see the house featured on the Zeta website and social media.”

The look on Bay’s face is everything.

“He’s going to build us a futuristic house for free? As long as we help him advertise it?”

The incredulity in her voice is cute.

“Yeah. Of course, the company has been looking for several pilot projects, some more high profile than others. But as every university in the country becomes conscious about the environment, building a house on campus will be tremendous publicity.”

Bay doesn’t look completely sold. “That would be amazing. But you should have seen the amount of new environmental laws at federal and state level, without counting the city of Star Cove and the college itself. The Dean went above and beyond in an attempt to get all kinds of government funding to expand our campus. The result is that the rules are extremely strict.”

“Bay,” I reassure her. “Our engineers and architects have been working to comply with every environmental rule under the sun. And there are many specs to choose from. We can build the house in line with what’s already on campus when it comes to its exterior looks. There are hyper futuristic designs, but that’s one of the countless options. We understand that going with that kind of design isn’t always possible. Sometimes you need to be able to blend in with your surroundings. But this is all stuff you can discuss face to face with my dad.”

She squeezes my hand, causing my pulse to quicken its pace. “That would be awesome. Is it going to be a virtual meeting?”

“No,” I shake my head. “Dad will be in town for the alumni gala in a couple of days. He’s at our San Francisco offices right now. He would like to set up a meeting shortly before the gala. He also invited you to sit at his table at the alumni dinner. He promised me he’ll talk to the Dean. Dean Williams is hoping to get a large donation from him, so if he knows he’s building the new Zeta house, he’ll get rid of all the red tape he’s been hitting you with. At least in theory.”

BAY

I can’t believe it.

This is the answer to all my prayers, and I don’t know what to say.

When Jagger knocked on my door, I reminded myself that I’m still mad at him. I avoided looking at him and kept my distance because he’s so handsome. Every time I look at him, I can’t help but remember how it feels to kiss him, to be in his arms.

I told myself that no matter what he wanted to tell me, I wouldn’t forget how it felt to be dismissed with a text message. How it felt to see him with Candace and Bianca. It doesn’t matter that nothing happened between them; he let me believe it and to me it was real. I hurt for real.

What he just told me is so surprising, it takes me a second to wrap my head around it.

“That’s amazing, Jagger. There’s one thing I don’t get, though. That house will be expensive to build and it’s going to be worth millions. Why would you do something like this for me?”

The green flecks in his golden eyes expand. The contrast between the two colors is like a firework display on the Fourth of July. “Why do you think?” He squeezes my hand, his voice low and softer than I’ve ever heard it. “I love you, Bay.”

Honesty shines in his eyes and I know he isn’t playing any games.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Jagger says before I can find the words I want to say within the storm of emotions that are warring in my heart. “I just want you to know that I love you and I would do anything for you. You were so worried about losing the Zeta house and I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”

“Because you love me.” It’s not a question.

“Because I can’t be happy if you aren’t happy. I know you’re still mad at me.”

I struggle to keep from smiling. “I am still mad.”

He nods. “Good. I’m still mad at myself for how stupid I was.”

The corners of my lips lift, but I still manage to keep that smile from making its appearance. “Ok. I believe you.”

I’m a stubborn kind of person and Jagger has that in common with me.

“No, you don’t have to believe me when I tell you that I love you. Believe me when I show it to you. The house is just the beginning. I need you to let me un-fuck all the shit I fucked up in these past few weeks. Just give me a chance to show you how much you mean to me, Nova.”

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