Page 97 of Our Secret to Keep

I smile. “Hey, Momma. I miss you.”

“Miss you, too. How are you doing? I know you’ve been busy with school and hockey… but you can’t be too busy for me.”

“Sorry,” I say in a hushed tone. “I didn’t mean to be so distant. I just… have a lot going on right now. But I’ll see you soon for the holidays.”

“Yeah, you will. I can’t wait. I’m making all of your Thanksgiving favorites.”

“Sounds good.”

My dad mutters something in the background.

“Oh,” she says, “your dad has something else to say. But I love you, Rivie.”

“Love you, too, Momma.”

My dad takes the phone from her and clears his throat. “There’s one more thing. Harold flagged an unusual transaction on your credit card from a club called Glitter.”

Fuck.

“Do you know anything about it?”

I can’t breathe. My heart claws out of my chest, pounding my rib cage. “No, never heard of it.”

“Someone charged two thousand dollars. When Harold looked into this place, he learned it’s agayclub.”

When he says gay, it sounds like a dirty word falling from his tongue. Like it pains him to say it. He’s now Catholic and holier than thou—forgetting that he used to gang-bang puck bunnies before marrying my mom. No amount of holy water and Communion can wash away his dirty sins.

Hypocrite.

I choke out a laugh. “Yeah, right. Like I would be caught dead at a place like that. Someone must have stolen my credit card number.”

Dad pauses as if he wants to question me further, but he says, “I’ll cancel your credit card and send a replacement. Be careful who you give your information to.”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

After we hang up, I wipe the sweat from my brow.

Fuck, that was close.

* * *

To clear my head,I run until my soles burn. By the time I head back to campus, it’s almost midnight.

The first floor of the house is dark. I’m shocked no one is downstairs playing video games or getting drunk. That’s a relief. Someone is always awake in this house.

I creep upstairs and flick on the light in my bedroom. To my surprise, Nate is lying in my bed, face down and sleeping on my pillow.

Fuck.

I thought I’d made myself clear. I guess not. He seems to be taking rejection worse than a girl.

How long did he wait for me?

I strip to my boxer briefs, turn off the light, and get into bed, staying on my respective side. This will be awkward in the morning, but I don’t care. Our friendship is already in a weird place.

Nate rolls over, breathing in my ear, his arm slung over my stomach. I whisper his name, but he doesn’t wake up. Eyes closed, he presses his nose to my cheek, using my shoulder as his pillow.

Fuck.

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