Page 2 of Home in Nevada

"Just tell me!" she urges, and I can’t help but chuckle despite the tension.

I take a deep breath, glancing at her again, trying to find the right words as the landscape blurs by. This is going to be a ride I won’t forget.

"I had this weird thing. With this guy. In high school. That's all."

I can feel my face turning red, heat flushing my cheeks, and I swear my eyes are starting to water.This is so embarrassing.

"No way..." Lucy’s eyes widen again, her excitement unmistakable. "Are you serious?"

I nod, trying to keep it together. "We might see him,probably, maybe... I just wanted to give you a heads-up, 'cause it's gonna be weird and awkward as hell. And I know you're gonna notice... That’s the only reason I’m even telling you."

I can practically feel the tension in the air as I brace myself for her reaction.

"Well..." Lucy leans in way too close, her curiosity practically radiating off her. "Well," she repeats, hazel eyes sparkling as she tucks a piece of her long hair behind an ear, "what's a weird thing, Jeff?"

Shit, that’s all it takes for me to go red again. I shoot her a glare out of the corner of my eye, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.

"It was just a weird thing. That's all."

"Like... you dated? Or what?" she presses, clearly not satisfied with my vague answer.

"No, nothing like that. We just..." I grit my teeth, scratching at my head, searching for the right words. "It's hard to explain."

"Explain to me then, Jeff!" Lucy suddenly sits up straight, a lightbulb going off in her head. "Oh! Here."

Before I can react, she snatches my phone from the holster mounted to the dash, turning the screen on with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Is it something weird, like if I asked Tiffany about it, she'd besuperpissed?"

My heart stops in my chest.

"Dude, no!" I panic, swerving slightly as I reach to grab my phone back, the car lurching a bit under my clumsy maneuver.

Lucy stares at me, her expression a mix of shock and amusement, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m in way deeper than I wanted to be.

"Damn. Okay.Thatkind of weird." Lucy studies me, her curiosity simmering just below the surface as I put my phone back on the dash and pull up Google Maps again. I can feel her eyes on me, weighing me, searching for more details.

I focus on the screen, pretending the route needs my full attention, but her unsatisfied gaze is hard to ignore. It’s like she’s waiting for me to crack and spill everything, and the pressure is mounting. I can tell this isn’t over.

"...Did you fuck a guy, Jeffrey?" she suddenly asks, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"No. I didn’t," I huff, glaring back at her, but I can see she doesn’t believe me.

I bite my bottom lip for a moment, feeling the heat of the moment wash over me. Finally, I relent, "We would just... make out."

Lucy's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Okay..."

I don’t say anything else, the silence stretching between us like a taut rubber band.

"Was that all?" she asks loudly, her palms thrown up in disbelief.

"I guess."

"...Can I ask about it?" She’s being surprisingly nice now, settling back into the passenger seat, but I know her well enough to sense her mischief bubbling just beneath the surface.

We usually trade insults until we’re breathless, but Lucy’s just one of the guys to me—one of the hot ones, I guess. What makes her relatable is that she doesn’t constantly dive into feelings. God, I hate that stuff.

"Fine," I finally concede, bracing myself.

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