Page 29 of Off Limits

My face burns. “Why would you say that?” I keep my head down, unable to look at her.

“Because you’ve never been like this before and you’re checking your phone constantly. I see the little giggles as you read messages.” Busted.

“He’s just a guy I met in one of my classes.” It’s become far easier than I like to lie to her. Guilt tries to worm its way through my mind, but I raise my chin to push it away. One thing I keep trying to remind myself is that sometimes I deserve happiness too.

“You should invite him tonight! I’d like to meet him.”

“Oh, I can’t, he’s busy.”

“Too busy for your birthday? Did he even wish you a happy birthday today?” One brow ticks up and she looks at the screen with irritation.

Swiping open my phone, she jumps into my text messages. At this second, I’m nothing but thankful Lochlyn and I are always careful not to say anything that could even remotely identify him. Most of our messages are innocuous.

“Wait, are these song lyrics? You guys text song lyrics back and forth?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s weird, Shay.”

“Have you read them? It’s sweet.” Normally, I’d care what she thinks, I’d let her thoughts make me second-guess something like this, but not here. It’s something I’ve grown to love about my relationship with Lochlyn.

“Whatever.” She scrolls some more. “At least he wished you a happy birthday.”

He had. I woke up to a deliriously sweet message wishing me a happy birthday. We had a few exchanges after that, but he’s been silent for a few hours. He has classes most of the day, but usually finds a way to send a little something. I’ve been trying not to let it bother me. It’s not going well.

She tosses my phone down next to me. “I’m bored.”

“We’re supposed to be studying, Chels.” While she’s done almost anythingbutlook at her books, I’ve had my nose in the pages and have been taking frivolous notes. Aside from standing to stretch, I haven’t gotten up from my bed in hours.

“Studying is boring.”

“It’s not supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to help you do well in class.”

She checks her phone again. “It’s five thirty. Let’s get dinner.”

With a sigh, I close my books, knowing I’m not going to be getting any more studying done tonight.

“What are you thinking?” I ask.

“For your birthday, where do you want to go?”

“Hana.” I don’t even need a second to decide.

“How did I know you were going to say that?”

Hana is a newer Japanese restaurant that opened in town, and I love it. Lochlyn had taken me and Chelsea while he’d been home—just friends having dinner. It made no difference that Lochlyn’s and my knees touched the whole time and then he took me home and we had sex. Twice.

“Get your stuff. Let’s go. Your birthday, so it’s my treat!”

I hate myself a little bit as I check my phone one last time before we leave for dinner. My chest collapses when it comes up blank.

Pathetic, party of one.

At seven forty-five, I open the door to Chelsea’s house. Her parents are on yet another trip. She’d turned nineteen a few weeks before Thanksgiving, so they feel comfortable leaving her home alone. Her parents have always been a bit more hands off anyway.

“Chels?” When I walked in, I expected to find her setting up, but instead she’s somewhere in the house.

“Hey!” She’s breathless as she comes into the living room carrying a bowl of chips, Brendan not far behind her. I don’t want to think about what they were or were not doing before I walked in.

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