Page 43 of Where the Little Birds Go (Little Bird Duet 1)

We stay like that for a while longer, our hands joined and Fred soaking up the attention we both give him.

It’s him who breaks the silence. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

He hesitates. “Have you thought about what I said yesterday? About Zach?”

Internally, I groan. “Not really. I still don’t think you’re right about him liking me. It doesn’t really matter anyway.”

“Why not?”

I lay on my side and face him. “I don’t like him like that. To me, we’re just friends. It isn’t like we talk that much, and we only ever hang out if you’re around. I don’t know him that well.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“Why does it bother you so much?”

“It doesn’t,” he quickly responds.

I roll my eyes. “You’re a bad liar, Corbin. You get all short tempered when he’s brought up. Ever since he commented on your acting, it’s been weird between you two.”

Again, no comment.

I flick his arm. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

I sit up. “Let’s just run lines. I’m not in the mood to be lied to, especially not by my best friend. Friends don’t do that.”

He sits up abruptly, causing Fred to launch off him and onto floor. “That’s what is wrong, Kinley. The friend thing.”

My chest tightens. Instantly, I think about the peck like kiss. Did it ruin everything? Make us weird? “What? If this is you saying you don’t want to be friends any—”

“I want to be more than that,” he cuts me off, pushing the script off the bed and swinging his legs over the side. “I swear, you’re so dense for being so smart.”

All I do is blink.

He stands up and turns around. “Zach and I didn’t get into a fight because he talked shit about me. He was being egged on by some of the guys after gym to ask you out. Said he’s been wanting to for a while. When I heard that…”

My jaw drops in shock. “You punched him over that?”

“I punched him because he was playing the cool guy in front of his other friends and it pissed me off.”

“So … you punched him?”

He throws his hands up. “Yes. Okay? Yes, I punched him. But you weren’t there. He always thinks he needs to play the part in front of other guys. I don’t doubt that he likes you, but he made it seem like you were head over heels and chasing him around like a puppy dog.”

Jerking back, I shake my head. “That doesn’t sound like something he’d do. Zach is a good guy.”

“Around us,” Corbin agrees.

My shoulders slump.

“I didn’t want to tell you this way,” he grumbles, pacing next to the bed.

“Tell me…?”

He stops and slowly turns to me. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

---