Page 26 of Loving Lies (Granton University 3)

Tess laughed and tossed the pillow back, only to turn serious again. “There was no way I could tell Jonah about it. He was already on the edge of having an emotional meltdown when I showed up tonight. I just don’t think he’s ready to hear anything like that.” Casting another cautious glance toward the door that led through the bathroom and into Paige’s room, Tess lowered her voice. “The real question is do we tell Paige?”

“Are you insane?” Bailey squawked. “She goes deathly pale whenever I even make a reference to the shooting. Mentioning little psycho boy’s name will probably send her over the edge.” Giving her own little shake of horror, Bailey rubbed her arms. “No, there’s no reason to tell her your fake-boyfriend was Creepy’s roommate.” Narrowing her eyes, she pointed an accusing finger at Tess, “Which reminds me, you just totally changed the subject and diverted me from my lecture. Meaning you didn’t tell Jonah the truth tonight. Did you?”

Tess fell back against her pillows, yanked her covers over her head, and let out a small whimper. “I couldn’t.” Especially after learning his parents wouldn’t be counted on to be there for him. She’d made no plans to tell Jonah the truth when she’d driven to the hospital tonight. And now, she really didn’t want to fess up.

Because she kind of liked being the only person he had, which was bad, but she just couldn’t help herself. Tonight had been so—

“He’s going to find out eventually. You know that, right?”

Tess closed her eyes and kept the blankets over her head. “Maybe.” Or maybe, if God wanted her to be blissfully happy, Jonah would never regain his memory, and she could just keep being his girlfriend.

“It would be best if you got it out of the way and did it now. Band-Aid quick. Just tell him. At this point, he still might forgive you.”

Or he might throw her out of his hospital room and refuse to ever see her again, in which case, he’d be left with no one to visit him and her heart would shatter into a million pieces, and God…she’d gotten herself into quite a pickle, as her mom used to say.

“If you’re that hard up for a boyfriend—I mean, a real one—there’s this party on Friday—”

“No,” Tess said before Bailey could continue. “You know how I get at parties.” She typically turned so nervous she started shooting whatever alcohol was on hand, just to loosen up and avoid any stupid-gene comments spilling from her mouth. But then she ended up getting blitzed to the point that her stupid gene made an appearance anyway.

“So, you’d rather just fake it with the amnesiac?” Bailey demanded.

“Yeah.” Tess’s voice was soft as she remembered “faking” it tonight. Except it hadn’t felt that fake at all. “I would,” she murmured, touching her lips and remembering their parting kiss.

As if she could see Tess’s actions under the blanket, Bailey said, “Is there something you’re not telling me? This just feels so…I don’t know. I’m not trusting this. I don’t trust…him.”

With a scowl, Tess flipped the blanket off her head, and sat up to aim the irritation at her roommate. “How can you not trust him? He doesn’t even remember who he is.”

Bailey shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.”

“But…you didn’t even meet him. You can’t possibly get a feeling if you don’t even know the person you’re…getting feelings about.”

“Oh, yes, I damn well can. I’m seeing your reaction to him. And you’re not acting like…you. You’re all…” She waved out her hand and made a face. “Well, I have no clue who you’re acting like, but it’s not like my friend Tess at all.”

Guilt slithered into her conscience. Tess glanced away, wondering if Bailey knew how much she couldn’t stop thinking about Jonah, or if she suspected they’d kissed. She wasn’t completely sure why she hadn’t already spilled all the details about those few kisses she’d shared with him. Probably because Bailey was already overreacting about her merely visiting him. If she knew Tess was growing a crush on her fake boyfriend, she’d completely freak. She’d probably break out another tell-him-the-truth lecture and completely burst the euphoric little bubble Tess had going.

She decided to cling to her bliss for just a little while longer. Her time with him was too special to go spreading around like some kind of dirty locker room gossip, anyway. Those memories were hers to keep in a private, hallowed place inside herself.

Across the room, Bailey’s sigh was disappointed, but it told Tess she was giving up on her argument for the rest of the evening. “Fine. I’ll drop it. For tonight. Too tired to think straight anyway.” Seconds later, the lights were extinguished. “Night.”

Tess blew out a breath and lay down, bringing her blankets up to her chin. “Good night.”

Staring up at the dark shift of shadows across her ceiling, she wanted to apologize, but she wasn’t sure why. She just knew she was wrong. And Bailey was right. She hated being wrong, especially when Bailey was right. But she couldn’t stop her wrongness in this situation. Thinking of him alone in the world, without her, hurt too much. And after getting to know him a little better tonight, she felt even more invested. She was beginning to get…close.

Jonah Abbott was like a drug, and she wanted to go back for more. Even now, the itch to crawl out of bed and drive to the hospital consumed her. She wondered how easy it would be to sneak past the nurses and slip into his room. Would she surprise him? Would he be happy to see her? Annoyed or uncomfortable?

Would he want to kiss her again?

Touching her lips once more in the dark, Tess smiled goofily. If she had her way, she’d definitely be kissing those lips again.

“Okay, now I can’t sleep.” Bailey’s voice across the room stopped Tess’s grin short. “I saw the cowboy today.”

“What?” Tess sat up and fumbled until finding the string for the light over her bed. Giving it a hard tug, she twisted to face Bailey as soon as brightness filled the room. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Bailey had been obsessed with “the cowboy” since last semester when they’d met the stranger in Paige’s room. He’d stop by to pick up Paige’s roommate for a date, and that had been it for Bailey. She’d wanted him. Bad. They didn’t even know his name.

Tess was glad her friend had returned her obsession back onto the cowboy. Bailey had recently gone on a couple dates with a guy from back in their hometown, but Tess had never liked him. After the school shooting, he’d grown annoying to Bailey, too, asking too many questions about what had happened, so she’d dropped him.

“I don’t know.” Squishing up her facial features with disappointment, Bailey shrugged, folded her arms behind her head, and stared moodily up at the ceiling. “I forgot all about it when I saw that look on your face as soon as you came through the doorway.” She glanced over. “What was that about, anyway? You looked way too happy for a miserable hospital visit.”

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