Page 76 of Something Like Fate

Bingo.

He’s been sitting outside the whole time. He lifts his eyes, but only for a fraction of a second, like my dogs when they get caught eating something they shouldn’t. My suspicion is confirmed. He’s avoiding me. Things are officially weird.

“Morning! I’m shocked to see you up before me.” My tone is chipper, maybe a little too loud.

He pretends to suddenly see me, ears turning a deep shade of pink. “Oh, hey. Yeah, I got hungry. Didn’t eat much yesterday. I grabbed breakfast for you at the buffet. The yogurt is lactose free,” he mumbles, nodding toward the tray on the table.

“Thank you,” I say, tepidly pulling up a chair. After last night, I’m famished. “You feeling okay this morning?”

He tips his head. “Yeah. Oh, by the way, it’s gonna be hot out today. I got some waters from downstairs. Left one on your bedside table.”

Are we really talking weather like retired Floridians? “Thanks,” I say, feeling antsy and nervous. I don’t know what to do with my hands, so I slide my phone out too.

We sit there for a few minutes, scrolling on our phones. Truth be told, I’m scrolling mindlessly, not taking anything in. I’m too busy battling invasive thoughts, like did we make a terrible mistake? Did I throw myself at him and now he’s feeling uncomfortable? Did he really want to hook up, or was he just too nice to say no?

No. There’s no way I could have misinterpreted last night. He wanted it as much as I did.

Or maybe it’s worse than that. Maybe he wanted it but ended up hating it. Maybe I’m a terrible kisser, or just generally terrible in bed. It occurs to me that I might have made a massive mistake. In an effort tokeep him close, I did the exact opposite. Maybethisis what marks the beginning of the end for us.

Before I spiral and start saying all of that aloud, I fire off a quick SOS to Bianca.

Bianca: It’s 2:30am. What’s up?

Lo:I Slept With Teller

I’m never one to beat around the bush.

Bianca: ????

Bianca:

She follows up the question marks with five GIFs of varying surprised reactions ranging from bug eyes to public fainting.

Sometimes, I like to leave her in suspense, so I take a beat, set my phone down, and eye Teller. “Who are you texting?” I ask casually, trying to ignore my flaming-hot ears.

He hesitates, working down a swallow. “Um ... Sophie.” He says it so nonchalantly, as though they haven’t broken up, as though we didn’t just spend an intimate night together, as though texting her is just part of his morning routine. Did I slip into an alternate dimension or something?

Either way, his response hits me straight in the gut. I can’t help but imagine the texts. Is he telling her we hooked up? Profusely apologizing? Telling her it was a huge mistake? Likely. I’m tempted to ask him straight up, but that would make me seem overly invested. He’d think I have feelings for him. So instead, I scarf down my breakfast in silence, trying my best to act as normal as possible. It’s cowardly, but I can’t look at him without blushing. I can’t look at his lips without remembering about how they felt against my skin.

Thankfully, a FaceTime from Bianca gives me an excuse to go back inside.

She’s in the dark, blankets pulled to her neck, eyes wide, hand over her mouth. By the way the camera jolts around, I’m fairly certain she’s kicking her feet.

I try to warn her not to move her broken foot too much, but she’s got a one-track mind.

“You slept together?” she shouts.

“Yes,” I mouth, locking myself in the bathroom.

“How was it?” she asks.

“Um ... good.” Understatement of the century.

She blinks, silently calling me out. “I need details.”

So I break down and tell her everything.

She giggles and screeches through the whole thing. “Hell yes. You deserve this. But wait. What about Caleb?”

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