Page 25 of Seeds of Love
I turn to Tara—the weak link in this operation. “Come on, Tara. What’s number one?”
“Nothing,” she repeats, but she’s about as convincing as a kid with chocolate all over their face denying they ate the cookies.
Time to play dirty. I snatch Lexie’s pen—one of those fancy-ass ones with flowers and gold shit all over it.
“Tell me, or I’ll break the pen,” I’m bluffing, obviously. I’d never actually break her pen. But they don’t need to know that.
Tara gasps like I’ve just threatened to kick a puppy, and Lexie looks ready to murder me.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she hisses.
I put on a show of applying pressure to the pen. It’s working—I can see Lexie’s eye twitching. Bingo.
“Tara!” she snaps. “This is your fault.”
Tara grimaces. “I know, I’m sorry, Lex.” She checks her phone and remembers she’s got places to be. “Shit, I gotta go to class,” she says, patting Lexie on the thigh and giving me a half-assed wave before bolting.
“Coward,” Lexie mutters.
I raise an eyebrow, still holding her precious pen hostage. “Spill it, Lex.”
She looks like she’s in physical pain, but finally caves. “Fine! Fine! I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else and that we’ll never speak of this again.”
“Deal.” I nod.
“And that you’ll return my pen, unharmed.”
“Deal, now talk.”
She snatches her pen back and I wait for her to continue.
She groans, looking anywhere but at me. “Remember the first night we met, when I told you I had a college bucket list?”
“Yeah.” Like I could forget anything about that night.
“Tara thinks... with Eric... I might tick off number one.”
Jesus, it’s like trying to put together a puzzle. “Lex, I haven’t got a fucking clue what?—”
“I want to lose my virginity!” she blurts out.
Oh.Oh. Well, fuck.
My brain short-circuits. Lexie’s a virgin? I mean, it makes sense, but... fuck.
“Say something, Freddie,” she pleads.
“Oh. Uh. That’s cool?” I manage, immediately knowing it’s the wrong thing to say.
“Nooo, it is most certainly not cool,” she whines, dropping her head into her hands. “That’s why it’s number one. I just want to do...” She lowers her voice to a whisper, “it... so I can stop obsessing about doing it.”
Jesus Christ. The way she can’t even say “do it” without whispering is all the proof I need that she’s never been laid.
“Lex, it’s not a big deal. Half the people who claim they’ve had sex are probably lying anyway.” I try for casual, like we’re discussing the weather and not her virginity. Like the thought of her with Eric isn’t making me want to put my fist through a wall.
She nods quickly. “Yeah, I know, and I’ve done other stuff. But maybe after a few dates with Eric, I can finally tick it off.”
My stomach lurches. Eric. Fucking Eric. The guy who rescheduled a date to study math wants to be Alex’s first?
