Page 101 of Off Limits

“Yeah,” he agreed. “But do you think we ever would have gotten to this point if they weren’t?”

“No.” I didn’t even have to think about it. “We would be strangers who used to go to school together.”

“I don’t hate that we aren’t.” He toyed with his ring but didn’t look away. “I like where we are. That we’re friends.”

He added the last part quietly, like he was afraid it wasn’t true.

“You’re pretty much my best friend.” I let out a little laugh. “So yeah, I don’t hate that we ended up here either.”

“You’re kinda my best friend too.” His cheeks and neck flushed pink. “So what do we do?”

“I’m not sure. But we don’t have to figure everything out tonight.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” He smiled in relief. “I’m not sure I’m in the right headspace to be making any major life decisions right now.”

“Me either,” I agreed. “How serious are you about living here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want to stay roommates long-term?”

“Yeah, if you do. Why?”

“Just wondering.”

His look told me he knew I wasn’t telling him the whole truth, but he didn’t call me on it.

“What time is it?” I asked, suddenly exhausted. “My phone is in my room.”

21

ASA

I pulledmy phone out of my pocket. “It’s just after ten.”

He let out a long sigh and scrubbed his hand through his hair. “No wonder I’m fading.”

“Yeah, same.” I tucked my phone away, my head spinning with everything we’d talked about.

He chewed on the corner of his lips, his eyes shrouded in uncertainty and what looked like nerves.

That was weird. Dex was the most confident person I’d ever met. What could he possibly have to be nervous about now that we’d just spilled our guts to each other again?

“Are you going to bed soon?” he asked.

“Yeah. I was planning it.”

“I might be reading things completely wrong, but do you want to sleep in my room tonight?”

I tried to cover up my shock but obviously failed when he winced.

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No. I mean, I’m just surprised you asked, that’s all. That wasn’t me saying no,” I babbled. “Just couldn’t keep my indoor face on.”

“Indoor face?” he asked, some of his nerves gone.

“That’s what I call my normal face. My outside face is when I let my emotions or reactions show without meaning to. Kind of like how people say indoor voice and outdoor voice, only mine is my face.” I shook my head ruefully. “My brain is weird.”

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