Page 18 of Home in Nevada

“Honey, I’ve got a few things for you to take back,” Mom says, bustling around with a care package full of leftovers. “Oh, and this one’s for Lucy,” she adds, pointing to another bag.

Well, damn. Lucy’s part of the family now? I smile, touched by how welcoming Mom is. She doesn’t care about stuff like Lucy’s orientation or the fact that I’m spending my vacation with my hot lesbian friend instead of my girlfriend. Mom’s awesome.

Lucy links her arm through mine. “Let’s hit the town and maybe catch some Black Friday deals,” she says, practically dragging me toward the door.

Mom’s giddy, rattling off suggestions faster than I can process.

Reluctantly, I grab my jacket, and we finally make it to the car. As soon as the doors close, Lucy turns to me, her eyes gleaming.

“Start from when you got there,” she says, full interrogation mode activated.

“Lucy, I told you, it’s none of your damn business,” I reply, starting the engine.

“No way am I letting you off the hook that easily. Details, please.”

I sigh, knowing I’m trapped. She’s not letting this go.

“We played video games and made up. We’re going to talk again. That’s all,” I say, pulling onto the freeway toward downtown.

“So you’re going to talk again…?”

“Yeah.”

“So nothing happened?” she asks, her voice dripping with disappointment. “You made it sound like something happened…”

I grip the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white. My jaw clenches as I stare straight ahead, the road blurring slightly at the edges.

That’s all she needs. She laughs, leaning back in her seat with a smug grin. “Something totally happened. I mean… Jeff.”

My face burns, and anger coils in my chest, hot and restless. I’m so fed up with it—with her prying, with my own messed-up feelings. What the hell is wrong with me? I grip the wheel harder, willing myself to calm down. I need to get my act together.

“We kissed. That’s all. Just once,” I say through gritted teeth, forcing the words out as evenly as I can.

Lucy throws her head back, laughing so hard she clutches her chest. The sound grates on my already frayed nerves, and I clench my jaw. If she keeps this up, I might have to revoke her “bro” status—for good this time.

“It’s not going to happen again,” I snap, cutting through her laughter. “And don’t you dare fucking tell Tiffany, or I swear I’ll kill you.”

She wriggles in her seat, wiping away fake tears. “Jeff, I’m not going to tell anybody. I swear.”

“I’m going to tell her when I get back,” I say, feeling my chest tighten as the words come out.

“What?!” Her head snaps toward me.

“I’m going to tell Tiffany that I kissed him, but that it was nothing,” I explain.

“That’s a horrible fucking idea, bro… Oh my God.”

“Why? It’s the truth, and I need to be honest with her if we’re moving in together. She’s serious, Lucy. I’m serious about this relationship going somewhere. She deserves to know about… all this. Maybe I’ll pick something up for her downtown.”

“Oh, dude, no…”

“What?!”

“That’s not how this works. It’s not going to go the way you think it will,” she says, grabbing my shoulder, her fingers digging in for emphasis. “Listen, as a woman, I’m telling you this is a bad idea. Seriously, Jeff. Don’t do it.”

“Whatever, I’m doing it. I’m not taking our relationship to the next level with a secret behind my back.” My voice is sharp, and I can feel the tension knotting in my stomach.

Lucy lets out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. “Don’t think I won’t have an ‘I told you so’ moment when this blows up. Because I will.”

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