Page 248 of Filthy Elites

I cock an eyebrow. “We’re moving in together now, huh?”

He nods. “It’s a big step, but I think we’re ready for it.”

I crack a smile. “It’s scary how comfortable you are lying. When I lie, I look like I’m holding back a murder confession with a hot face and guilty eyes. When you lie, it’s like… you’re telling the truth.”

“Lying is easy, you just have to do it with confidence.”

“No, thanks. I don’t need to be a better liar. It’s not a skill I find particularly useful.”

“Nah,” he says, like he’s not surprised. “You’re a good girl, aren’t you? All the way, through and through.”

I shrug. “I guess. I try to be a good person. When you lie, your word means less and less. I don’t see the advantage of making it difficult for people to trust you.”

“Maybe people shouldn’t trust me,” he says casually.

I shrug. “Maybe. In that case, go ahead and lie all you want, just don’t be surprised by the consequences.”

“The consequences today are that we’re going to have delicious drinks with our lunch.”

“Those are the immediate consequences, yes. The longer term consequences are that I will always be a little skeptical of anything you say because there’s literally no way to tell if you’re lying or telling the truth. Maybe you don’t care if I believe you, but it’s true either way. If there ever comes a day when you need me to believe you and I don’t, it’s no one’s fault but yours.”

“Why wouldn’t I care?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. A week ago, you didn’t even know my name. Maybe my ability to trust you isn’t something that matters to you.”

Dare watches me, his gaze narrowed. The waitress brings over a tray with our glasses of water and two brightly colored orange and red drinks with curled orange rinds on top.

She asks if we’re ready to order and since we are in a bit of a hurry, I quickly consult the menu while Dare orders, then order a chopped salad for myself.

Once the waitress walks away and leaves us to our drinks, Dare returns to the topic. “What if I didn’t lie to you?”

I smile, lifting the icy alcoholic beverage and taking a sip. “Because I’m special?” I tease.

“Because I can see your point about it being hard to trust someone who lies to you all the time. I might omit things if I think you’re better off not knowing them, but if you ask me anything directly, even something I’d rather keep from you, I promise not to lie. Not to you.”

I cock an eyebrow. On the face of it, it’s not a lot, but I have a feeling it’s more than he usually offers people. “Why?”

“Because I want you to be able to trust me. How I behave with others doesn’t necessarily have to be how I behave toward you. You trust me, and I’ll never give you a reason not to.”

That feels like a big promise coming from him. If he were anyone else, I might not consider it much of an offer, but I can tell it challenges him to make it, and that makes it a big deal. “I appreciate that,” I say seriously.

He nods wordlessly like it’s not a big deal, but I still think it is.

“Have you lied to me before?” I ask tentatively, wanting to test out this new arrangement, but cognizant that too far too fast might unravel the whole thing.

My doubts are bolstered when his gaze takes on a guarded look. Arms crossed, he nods. “I suppose you could say that.”

What did you lie about?

That’s too much. I don’t want to obliterate his comfort all at once. He needs to get comfortable being honest with me, then if there are relevant lies that need to come out, they can.

“Did you…” I hesitate, my question sounding so monstrous in my head, I’m afraid to ask.

He sees my hesitation and gives me a push. “Go ahead, ask.”

“Um…” I look up at him, feeling a bit guilty for even asking. It would be horrible to lie about something like that, but before I get my mom’s hopes up, I have to know. “Were you telling the truth about the oncologist your family knows? Can he really help my mom?”

The guardedness in his gaze clears. “Yes, of course I was telling the truth about that. I don’t know for certain he can help your mom, but I’ll reach out to him today after school. I hope he can.”

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