Page 94 of The Pretender

I shrug. “I waited until you would sneak over to Bennett’s at night.” I slap my hand over my mouth. “I mean, fell asleep.”

Aspen waves off my comment. “It’s fine. It’s not like Fenn doesn’t know I come over. I always end up using his razor.”

Fenn makes a noise low in his throat. I’m sure he’s used to sharing with his sister and I highly doubt he cares if she is sneaking over to see his friend. “I knew you were into some weird shit, Vee.”

I shrug. “It isn’t weird. Winners do whatever it takes.”

I look back to Sebastian whose face has lost its smile. My heart sinks to my toes. Surely he’s happy we, more than likely, blew up the internet with this crazy show.

“You alright?” I ask him.

He nods and sets me down. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He touches my cheek with his thumb, and it feels final, like this is our goodbye.

I swallow and force a smile on my face. I knew this would happen. I was prepared that if this went well, it would only lead to one of two outcomes. Winning the contest and Sebastian leaving Georgiaorexposing our story and embarrassing us both so much that he’s forced to leave Georgia to save face.

“Want a lift home?” he offers.

I look at Aspen who stares back at me. She’s probably wondering the same thing I am. Should I take him up on his offer and endure the 'what the fuck were you thinking exposing us' lecture, or should I avoid his goodbye at all costs?

Avoiding sounds pretty good at the moment, but I’m not a coward. “Sure.” I cut Aspen a small smile. “Will you bring my stuff home?”

She nods, and Sebastian gives me his hand, which I take, and follow him toward the parking lot, away from the cacophony of laughter and what was probably an epic exit by Malcolm and Brick.

When we’re in the quiet of Sebastian’s Jeep with the doors locked, Sebastian drums on the steering wheel for a moment. “Just say what you want to say,” I tell him. “I embarrassed us both, I know, but I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want you to lose out on your dream.”

He doesn’t answer me, only sits there chewing the inside of his cheek.

“Yell at me or something,” I tell him. “I’ve never known you to be so quiet. Are you scarred for life?”

Finally, he laughs a deep rumbling sound that sends shivers across my skin. “What am I supposed to do with you, huh?”

I shrug. “Text me occasionally when you’re all famous.”

His smile drops, and he puts the car in gear, pulling away from the curb. I try not to look like my heart is fracturing into a million little pieces on the backroad to our house, when he finally clears his throat and promises, “Always.”

We don’t speak after that. I guess there’s nothing really to say. We had a deal to win this competition, and although we don’t know that we’ve actually won yet, I think we can agree that we have a good shot at it. Sebastian will see the west coast, and I will stay here, save my money, and finish school. Then, I can decide what to do after that.

We pull up to our complex, and Sebastian jumps out, before I can say anything else like goodbye or thanks for the best year of my life sans the two months you weren’t speaking to me.

“Okay,” I say to myself, as he hustles around the front of the car. “Have a great day. Thanks for saving my ass.”

My door is suddenly wrenched open. “What did you say?”

My eyes meet his, and I suddenly have the urge to kiss him. I open my mouth. “I love you.”

Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to happen.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Sebastian

She played her ace, and wouldn’t you know, her crazy prank won us the competition.

There’s just one thing that keeps me from celebrating.

She said she loved me and then slapped her hand over her mouth and ran into her house without another word, which is where she stayed the rest of the evening.

“So, Vee was Tweener all along?”

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