Page 11 of The Lies Always Told

Me:

I’m out of guesses

G:

The amount of times I typed a text and deleted it.

Okay, this is both sweet and infuriating. Why? Why wouldn’t he just text? I thought the whole fuck boy persona ended after twenty five, but apparently, Gus didn’t get the memo.

Me:

Why, Gus? I gave you my number. I expected for you to use it.

G:

You know why…

My fingers dance over the screen, waiting and thinking about what I should do next. I felt like a goddess that night under his stare. My confidence was through the roof knowing how he was coming undone with every touch. And that kiss… He was so ready to throw everything out the window to spend a night with me. That man could have any woman he wants, and he chose me. Fuck, Bee would know what to do.

G:

What are you up to?

I leave my phone in my purse and drive to my condo. It’s not far from where I am, so I’m home in no time. I walk through the door, leave my shoes in the organizer, and check to see if I’m alone. I know Bee and Victoria had plans with their families too, so I wasn’t expecting them.I find Bee in her room, lying in bed with her phone in her hand, but there is no sign of Victoria.

“Knock, knock,” I say, sticking my head in her room.

“Guess who I’m talking to?” she asks, sitting up and wiggling her eyebrows. She’s sitting in the middle of her bed, wearing a tiny black dress and a full face of makeup.

“Zero clue, but also…where are you going?” I lean against the wall, phone in hand, as I wait for her reply. I don’t message Gus back. I need time to think, to figure out what I want the conversation to be. I learned at a very young age that I’m rather impulsive, so time and waiting are my two best friends when my emotions are at play.

“Frat party. Wanna come? Our last party of the academic year, Nellie. Victoria is with her parents, so she’s being a party pooper. Are you in?”

I don’t want to go. I would rather stay here and read, but maybe going with her will pull me out of the dry spell I’ve been in for the last month.

“Which one?” I ask. Some frat houses are better than others, and the bad ones have my least favorite people.

“The one house you’d never catch Jack at.” Jack’s the guy I slept with consistently my freshman year. We were never a thing. He, on the other hand, had no clue. His frat is one I always avoid. He’s an ass and can’t take a no for an answer. Jack might have a lot of friends, but they aren’t at Zeta Beta. The ZB guys hate him—I don’t know why and I don’t care, because it means I can party at ZB Jack-free. Time and waiting might be my best friends when impulse control is needed, but the perfect addendum to the trio is space. If I’m not put in a tricky situation, I can make rational decisions without issues. I can stop and think. I may be young and sometimes wild, but I’m never stupid.

“Then maybe…” I look down at my phone and remember what I actually came here for. She’s still lying on her back, her phone in her hand, and she’s smirking, kicking her feet. “Who are you talking to?”

She turns to look at me and smiles giddily. “Abraham.”

What the hell? “Gus’ friend Abraham?”

“Yup. He might come over tonight.”

“To a frat party? Bee, he’s a grown man.”

“And we’re grown women.”

I laugh. “No, we’re not. We literally just finished college today. He has been adulting for years now.” I watch her, hoping she can explain more.

“You are a twenty-one-year-old genius child who just finished a master’s degree, and I’m your friend, so adult by association. He can come… Maybe he’ll bring Gus’ handsome face over, and you can stop acting like the world ended a month ago.”

“I have not.”

“You have too, and you didn’t even fuck him.” She cocks an eyebrow my way. I don’t need to have sex with the man to know it would be good. I’ve never felt sexier. I’ve never felt more desired, and he didn’t even undress me.

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