Page 84 of Our Secret to Keep

Arms tied behind her back.

Yes, I like this idea.

At lunch, I sat in the cafeteria with a few of my teammates and scouted my next fuck. River is sick of Samantha.

We need a replacement. So, I scanned the cafeteria, stuffing a grilled chicken sandwich into my mouth and looking for another girl to take her place. But then, Samantha found me. Of course, she did. She knows my schedule by heart.

We fought about me not calling her back for days. I told her we were over and to get lost. I could have been nicer, but she wouldn’t stop yelling and was pissing me off.

“Nate,” a deep voice says, returning me to reality.

Before I look up, I know it’s River. I would know that voice anywhere.

I drop the pen into the book’s fold and close it. “Still mad at me?”

River sits on the grass beside me and tosses his backpack between us. “No. I can’t stay mad at you. I tried, though.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. You barely spoke to me all day.”

He glances at the journal. “Did you write in it?”

I nod. “Just finished with my morning and afternoon. Who knows what the rest of the day will bring?”

I laugh, but he doesn’t.

“Can I see it?”

Tightening my grip on the book, I sink against the tree. “It’s not finished yet.”

“Are you embarrassed by what I’ll think?”

I shake my head.

River wets his lips with his tongue, and the simple motion goes straight to my cock. More confusion settles into my mind, clouding my judgment. Maybe River and I are too close. This must be our intimate bond fucking with my head.

River extends his hand. “Let me read it.”

“Why?”

“I need to understand what’s going through your head. This is hard for me, too. And confusing. I want to help you and to do that… I need to know.”

Holding the journal to my chest, I bite my lip, searching for a way out. But I don’t see one.

“What we did this morning,” I say in a hushed tone. “It’s messing with me.”

“Me too.”

I place the book in his hand, my heart pumping rapidly. “Promise not to hate me.”

“I could never.” He flips to the first page, eyes on me. “You’re my best friend, Nate. I will always be here for you.”

“Will you, though? You’re leaving me after graduation.”

“Nate,” he whispers, closing the book. “Is this why you’re acting out so much?”

I bob my head. “I’m scared.”

Eyes downcast, he picks at the grass and sighs. “You can’t ask me to give up my dream to keep you from making mistakes.”

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