Page 48 of Not Fooling Anyone

I stand, grabbing Lexie’s hand as we exit, keeping hold of it even when we’re out of the building, and steer her to a nearby bench, sitting us down. “So…”

“Yeah,” she says, letting go of me to stuff her hands in the front pocket of her hoodie.

“So we’ll have to kiss. Not a big deal.”

She looks over at me but stays silent.

“It’s only a big deal if we make it one.” As much as I enjoy teasing her, I know her boundaries, and this seems to be a major one.

“Right,” she mutters.

I let out a long breath. “Is this a dealbreaker for you? Are we out of the study?” Though the money wasn’t a huge incentive for me at the start, I could actually use it now that I have all these diabetic supplies to buy.

She pulls her hands out of her pocket, only to cross her arms over her chest. “No.”

Wow, such eloquence. “Is the thought of kissing me that repulsive?”

Her stone-faced expression softens some. “It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

“It kind of does.” I can’t help my peevish tone, despite not wanting to piss her off.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “You’re right. It won’t mean anything.”

Even though I wanted her to say that, it still stings. I need to remember she doesn’t feel the same way about me.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

We sit in silence for a few moments before I blurt out, “Are you worried about it looking real in front of Dr. Clark and Justin? Because we could practice if you want.”

She finally cracks a smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

Is the idea so crazy, though? “Will we be okay to wing it? Especially if they’re watching closely?”

She shifts on the bench, facing more toward me. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Miss Overprepared doesn’t want to prepare?”

I don’t know why I’m pushing the idea so hard, but some part of me doesn’t like that she’s so resistant to kissing me. If she gave me a reason, that’d be one thing, but she hasn’t.

“This is different. This is… intimate.”

I swallow, the word on her lips making my belly curl. “It doesn’t have to be,” I tell her, despite my body’s reaction.

“Ethan…” She picks at her thumbnail, talking to it rather than me. “We’ve become… friends. And friends don’t kiss each other.”

Well, at least she acknowledges there’s some kind of connection between us. “They do when there’s a thousand each on the line,” I remind her. “Isn’t that why you’re doing this?”

“Yes. I didn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Just that it’ll be weird.”

Please don’t let her tell me I’m like a brother to her. I’ve never had any kind of brotherly feelings toward her.

“Why will it be weird?” I force myself to ask.

I brace myself for her to tell me she’s not attracted to me, that I have garlic breath, that I’m so far in the friend-zone, there’s no chance of escaping.

“I don’t know. It just will.” She stands, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. “I have to get to Russian Lit. Can we talk about this later?”

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