Page 51 of Beneath the Stands (Sugarlake 2)

I bite my lip, my fingers reaching up to tug on my split ends. “I’m not a robot, Jer. I’m allowed to feel different emotions. Sorry I’m not as peppy and carefree as you like.”

“Quit deflecting.”

Irritation spreads through my chest. My hands fly to my hips. “And what about you, huh? You’re the one pullin’ a disappearin’ act for the last semester. You don’t see me over here askin’ about your whereabouts. So leave my ‘mopey’ alone.”

He props his chin on his hand, a grin pulling at his cheeks. “You done?”

“Maybe.” I cross my arms. “What are you smilin’ about?”

“You. You’re so obvious. And I’m not as dumb as I look.”

My stomach jumps. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you and Elliot Carson are shit at hiding the fuck me eyes you give each other. You’re also terrible at sneaking into his hotel room when we’re on the road. You’re lucky it was me that saw you and not someone else.”

I groan, my palms rubbing my eyes. “Shit.”

“Yeah. Shit.” Jeremy sits next to me, grabbing a hand from my face and linking our fingers.

“Talk to me, girl. And also, tell me the dirty details. That man is F-I-N-E.”

The tangle in my chest loosens now that he knows, and a weight I didn’t realize was pressing down lifts from my shoulders. “There’s not much to tell. We shouldn’t be a thing, but somehow… it happened. And I can’t seem to stop, no matter how much I try.”

His brows furrow. “Why should you? You two aren’t hurting anybody. In fact, you’ve been a hell of a lot more amicable. I think he must be fucking the sass right out of you.”

His grin fades when he sees I’m not laughing. “Oh, hell. He really is a sex god, isn’t he?”

I lean back against the couch, sighing. “He really is.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“It’s just… complicated. He’s faculty. I’m a student.”

Jeremy rolls his eyes. “For like two more days. Next issue, please.”

“He’s Lee’s brother.”

“And you think she’d care?”

I chew on my lip as I ponder his question because the truth is, I’m not sure if she would.

“It just feels… disloyal. You know, we had a friend growin’ up, Lily.” I pause, swallowing down the anxiety that gnaws on my insides whenever I think too long about Lily. She fell into a bad way when we were in high school and ran away, leaving everyone and everything behind. Thinking about her for too long is just another glaring reminder that everyone falls off the pedestal they’re placed on eventually. “She had this absolute dick of a brother. Lee fell hard for him, and Lily didn’t take too kindly to it. At all. Totally ruined their friendship. It makes me sick to think of the same thing happenin’ to us.”

Jeremy sighs, rubbing his palms down his jean-clad thighs. “Seems to me like she’d understand, since she’s been in your position.”

My nose scrunches. I hadn’t thought of it that way.

“Is it just sex?”

My heart skips at his question. I don’t want to put a label on my feelings for Eli. If I say it, then it’s real. “It’s not just sex,” I mumble.

His arms lift to the sides. “Then what’s the real issue here, Becca? Because your excuses are weak as hell.”

“What makes you think there’s an issue? Things are fine. Easy. They’ll probably fizzle out once summer starts, anyway.”

“Is that what you want?”

No. “I don’t mind it either way.”

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