Page 15 of The Glittering Edge

Better to keep quiet. This is a rough patch in their relationship, but it won’t last forever.

“Hi,” Corey says as he gets into the passenger seat.

Dylan stares at him for a long moment. He glances her way with a smile, then takes out his phone.

Dylan sighs and puts the car in drive.

They travel to the high school in silence. She parks near the tree line behind the building, and they climb into the back seat, kissing and pulling off clothes without another word.

Corey loses himself in it.

When they’re done, Dylan collapses on top of him and gives him a sloppy kiss. “You’re so hot,” she says into his mouth.

Corey drags a hand across her back. “Can we get some AC in here?”

“Give me a second to recover.” She sits up and gathers her hair into a bun on top of her head. “Why can’t we do this at your place?”

There it is again: the knot in Corey’s stomach, the panic as he tries to find the right excuse. Dylan never used to ask about Meredith House, which currently houses seven members of Corey’s family plus their live-in security guard, Warren. Dylan only comes over once a year, for the Barrions’ annual charity gala. She used to understand Corey’s family home wasn’t open to anyone, that the Barrions needed space to escape from the world. But lately, that hasn’t been enough.

Not that Corey can blame her. Any normal boyfriend would bring his girlfriend home all the time. But Meredith House is the one place Corey doesn’t have to pretend the curse doesn’t exist.

Dylan rolls her eyes, which means he took too long to come up with an answer. She puts distance between them and starts getting dressed, and Corey follows her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You know that my family likes to keep to themselves, but it’s nothing against you. They love you. They’re just standoffish after everything.”

Enough of Corey’s family members have died that Dylan normally doesn’t argue with this. But today, her jaw ticks to the side. “Right.Theylove me.”

Corey tenses, but Dylan is already climbing into the front seat.He could tell her he loves her a million times—and he has—but she always wants some kind of proof that Corey can’t give. He’s never been big on dramatic gestures or long, fluffy captions on social media posts, which is what she would prefer. But he takes care of her in his own way, and that has to be enough.

They drive to the movie theater, where they’re supposed to see the latest in a long line of superhero movies. When they’re a few minutes away, Dylan says, “Maybe I should drop you off at home.”

Corey’s shoulders tense. It feels like they’re speeding toward an argument, like it’s already inevitable. He clears his throat and tries to ease the tension. “Do you want to see something else? We can exchange our tickets.”

Dylan doesn’t answer. She wants him to fight harder. To convince her that hewantsto spend time with her. But exhaustion takes over, and Corey slumps back in his seat. “Whatever, Dylan.”

“Right,” she says.

And then she pulls a U-turn in front of an oncoming car.

Corey shouts something incoherent to even himself. He reaches for the wheel, but before he can grab it, momentum slams him against the window. The truck’s tires screech against the pavement as they speed off down Main Street. Behind them, the other driver is laying on their horn.

Corey slams his hand against the dashboard. “What the hell was that, Dylan?”

Dylan smirks. “Come on. That was a rush, admit it.”

“You just—” It takes everything in Corey not to lose his temper. He grips the handle on the ceiling of the truck and rubs his temples. “You can’t be like this all the time.”

Dylan’s smile disappears. “Likewhat?”

“Look, I want to spend time with you, okay? I want to go to the movies.”

“No, you don’t. I’m just one more box to check in your productive, self-involved day.”

“That’s not true. I love you.”

She slams on the brakes and pulls over to the side of the road, right in front of Idlewood City Hall, a single-story brick building that looks straight out of the seventies.

“Say it again,” she says.

Corey makes himself look at Dylan. Her brown eyes gleam with tears. “Say what?”

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