Page 73 of The Plus One
Jeremy’s face was a mask of horror as he looked between Indira and Jude. Then he threw his head back and groaned. “Is this how it’s going to be now? You two living in my home,rent free, and tormenting me?”
“You are so dramatic,” Indira said, stepping away from the window.
“Can you blame me? After coming home from a sixteen-hour shift to discover my vandalized home and my fiancé’s best friend and little sister…”
“Went mattress spelunking.”
“Stop it.”
Jude buried his face in his hands while Indira laughed and laughed. Jeremy rubbed at his temples.
“So is this”—Jeremy brought his fist up to his mouth and cleared his throat—“like, legit? Are you two… Or is this some sort of fake dating method acting?”
Indira started fidgeting, hating that Jeremy had to ask the most annoying (albeit reasonable) question possible.
She didn’t know what they were, but she knew her feelings for Jude were anything but fake. It all felt… private, almost sacred, to form that bond with Jude. Something that was just theirs. She was a greedy creature and wanted to keep it all for herself.
“I…”
“We…”
Indira and Jude both choked on words, looking at each other, then away.
“Please don’t tell Collin,” Indira finally managed. “Let us… figure things out first.”
Jeremy pressed his lips together in a stern line. “Don’t ask that of me, Dira. I can’t lie to him. And it will be so much worse if he walks in on something like I did.”
“I know,” Indira said, waving her hands. “And he won’t. But Jude and I…” She glanced at him, his eyes wide and vulnerable and a little bit scared.
But his mouth lifted at the corner, the tiniest hint of a smile. Indira smiled back.
“Please, give us some time to figure things out,” she repeated.
Jeremy sighed. “Well, you can start figuring things out while you clean up the yard, but I’m not comfortable keeping a secret from Collin.”
Indira’s head jerked back. “Excuse me, but why wouldn’t you also be helping to clean?” Indira said, trailing after him as he moved to the kitchen.
“Because you literally had one job while your brother and I pulled overnights at the hospital, and you failed spectacularly last night.”
“I think I did pretty well for myself last night, actually,” Jude mumbled quietly.
Jeremy stopped dead in his tracks and they both plowed into his back.
He did a full-body shudder. “I’m living in purgatory.”
Indira started to laugh, but the giggle died in her throat as the sound of an engine cutting off in the driveway echoed around the room.
Jude and Indira’s eyes whipped to each other, both full of panic.
A silent dialogue ofOh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuckbounced between them as they stared at each other, then they turned to Jeremy.
Jeremy gaped like a fish for a moment, then gave a helpless shrug, shaking his head. “I can’t keep a secret from him,” he whispered.
Oh. Fuck.
Indira started bolting around the room like a frantic pigeon, trying to figure out what to do, Jude rooted to the spot, following her path with his eyes.
The front door opened, and Collin stepped in, groaning and rubbing his eyes as he dropped his keys on the entryway table.
