Page 55 of The Backup

I roll my eyes, tossing my gym bag onto the floor. “Don’t start.”

“Don’t start?” Joe echoes, his grin widening. “Dude, you disappeared after midnight with that look. You know,thatlook.”

I head to the mini fridge, ignoring him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You totally hooked up,” Joe presses, leaning forward like a bloodhound catching a scent. “Come on, who was it?”

I crack open a water bottle and take a long sip, trying to buy time. “No one you know.”

The guys erupt into boos and groans.

“Bullshit!” Ryan shouts from the couch, pointing at me with a half-eaten slice of pizza.

Joe’s not letting it go. “You’re not getting off that easy, Knox. Who’s the lucky lady? And don’t say no one because I swear I saw you sneaking someone out this morning. So spill.”

I pause, mentally scrambling. If I admit to hooking up with Sloane, it’ll spread through the house like wildfire. And her whole “dirty little secret” plan? Yeah, that’ll be down the drain in about three seconds.

“Fine,” I say, leaning casually against the fridge. “Her name’s…Marsha.”

The room goes silent for a beat.

“Marsha?” Joe repeats, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

“Yeah,” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. “Marsha. She’s a super senior. Doing her PhD.”

“PhD in what? Bullshitology?” Ryan quips, earning a round of laughter.

“She’s real,” I insist, keeping my expression dead serious. “She’s been around, like, forever. You guys just don’t know her because she mostly sticks to the library.”

“The library,” Joe echoes, squinting at me.

“Yeah. Really into, uh, advanced molecular physics,” I add, waving a hand vaguely.

Ryan nearly chokes on his pizza. “Advanced molecular physics? Come on, man. You’re telling me you hooked up with some Einstein-level brainiac named Marsha? At a party?”

“She was taking a break from research,” I say, shrugging. “Needed to let loose. And what can I say? I’m irresistible.”

Joe looks skeptical, but the guys start laughing, letting it go—mostly because they love the idea of me hooking up with a physics PhD student named Marsha.

“You’re full of shit, Knox,” Joe says, shaking his head. “But hey, if you’ve got a thing for nerds, more power to you.”

I grin, grabbing my gym bag. “Yup, Marsha’s one of a kind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower.”

As I head upstairs, I can still hear them cracking jokes about “Marsha the molecular physicist” and what kind of equations she must’ve been solving with me last night. I roll my eyes, but I can’t help laughing to myself.

At least Sloane’s secret is safe. For now.

eighteen

. . .

Asher

The library is quieterthan I expected for a Sunday night. The low buzzing of fluorescent lights fills the space, along with the occasional rustle of pages or the clatter of a keyboard. I spot Jacklyn and Brian near the back, hunched over a pile of books. They’re probably cramming for midterms, judging by the amount of coffee cups cluttering the table.

I stroll over, not really thinking about it. “Hey, Jacklyn,” I say casually, giving her a small smile.

She looks up, surprised for half a second before she recovers. “Oh, hey, Asher.”

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