Page 48 of The Fake Date Agreement

Her voice is quiet. “And I’m sorry you had to kiss me.”

I peer down at her as I thumb a tear away. “You think kissing you was a hardship?”

“I thought…” her voice trails off, and we look at each other.

I’m dipping my head to kiss her again when Caleb calls out, “Are we all hiding?”

There’s so much relief in his voice that I’d smile if I weren’t this close to kissing Tobie.

I twist around as he enters the room. His eyes bounce from Tobie to me, and his expression hardens when he gets a look at her tear-stained cheeks. “What happened?”

“Tobie’s ready to go home,” I say.

He steps into the room. “That’s all well and good, but you haven’t told me what actually happened.”

Javier follows him in, and his expression also hardens when he sees Tobie’s damp cheeks.

“The fucking ex is what happened. He was being cruel to her,” I explain.

Tobie shakes her head. “He was?—”

“Nope. He was definitely being cruel,” I say. “He was saying the only thing she was good for was fucking.”

Caleb looks like he’s getting ready to punch a wall. “Are you okay?” he asks Tobie.

Her smile is wobbly. “Fine. I’m fine.”

Javier frowns. “That guy is making me regret stopping you from punching him.”

Tobie blinks at him as if surprised we’re treating this like it’s a big deal.

Itisa big deal. Tobie is ours, at least for the next little while, and while she’s ours, no one speaks to her like that.

“Come on.” I lace my fingers with hers, surprised by how natural the action is.

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“Out of here. I’m taking you home.”

“But we’ve only been here an hour.”

“We did what we came here to do. Now it’s time to leave and let people whisper and spread that gossip far and wide, like those flying monkeys from theWizard of Oz.”

I draw a small smile from her. “The what?”

Javier and Caleb walk ahead, talking quietly as I lead Tobie down the stairs.

A few people glance at us as we leave. Tobie shivers as we step outside, and I slip out of my jacket and slip it onto her instead.

“You’re going to get cold,” she warns me.

“Then I’m cold.” I turn to Javier and Caleb, saying, “I’m walking Tobie back to her room. I’ll see you guys in a bit, okay?”

I walk Tobie to her dorm and up to her floor. She slips out of my jacket and hands it back. “Thanks.”

“No worries.”

It’s Monday tomorrow. There’s no practice until the afternoon and minimal people at the rink in the morning. I also have a free period, which makes it the ideal time to get some studying done.

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