Page 20 of Powerless

“Not you, just the fact we have to pretend.” She pulls her hand back from mine and pats my shoulder. “Thank you though, you really don’t have to, but you are. For me.” She smiles and lifts her head to look around. “I better get back to filing. Yay,” she says with obvious distaste. “Filing, just what a senator’s wife should be doing.” Jen walks away, leaving Liam and me alone at the table with reports spread out in front of us. I glance over at Kathryn and when the corner of her lips turn up into a small smile, my breath catches in my throat. I’m such a goner.

“Stop it,” Liam says. I tear my eyes away from Kathryn to glance at Liam, lifting my hands in question. “If you keep looking at her like that, your dad will notice.”

I sit back in the seat and glance toward Dad who, sure enough, is still watching. I lower my head and focus on the work. “He was,” I say to Liam.

“You’ve gotta cool it, man.”

He’s right, I do. However, my heart has replaced my brain and I can’t stop looking at my girl, waiting for the moment I can touch her. “I know.”

“Today may not have worked out like you wanted it to, but at least we’re going to the movies tomorrow.”

I hate this. I just want to touch Kathryn, and I fucking can’t. Yet.

7

BENNETT

Jen’s hands wring together as I drive. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“My parents.” Jen exhales loudly and slumps further in the passenger seat. “They’re pressuring me to force you for a ring.”

“Ugh,” I grumble. “We’re eighteen, and nowhere near ready for this.”

Jen snaps her head to stare at me. “We’re not getting married, Bennett.”

“I know that, but even for a pretend engagement it’s too fast.”

Jen gently places her hand on my thigh and squeezes. “This is a lot of pressure for you. You have to deceive your parents, while you probably feel obligated to protect me.” She intakes a sharp breath. “Maybe it’s for the best if I tell them that I can’t marry you. I’m gay, God damn it.”

For a spilt second, I entertain the notion of Jen doing exactly that. But I know how ruthless and relentless her parents and my parents are. “No, it’s best not to do that.”

“You’re miserable, Bennett. Anyone can see it, and this is the perfect opportunity to tell them.”

I glance toward her and lift my brows. “No, we need to stick to the plan or you’ll be forced to marry someone else, and who knows how that’ll turn out. If we eventually have freedom, then it’s a small sacrifice we have to make now.”

Jen turns in her seat to look out the window. Her silence screams volumes. She knows I’m right, and I hate this for us both.

I pull into an available space near the movie theater, exit the car, and begin to round the hood where Jen meets me at the front of the car. “I would’ve opened your door.”

“I can do it.” She looks around before extending her hand to me. “If we have to do this, then we need to make it realistic.”

I link our fingers together, and it feels wrong to me. “God forbid one of our parents’ friends see us out and we’re not acting like the happy couple.” I feel nothing but sadness for Jen more than for me. At least at the end of this, I’ll have Kathryn, but poor Jen will need to face her parents and force them to understand that she’s gay. “The best thing we can do is move to LA.”

“I’m counting down the days to your acceptance into Stanford so we can move. At least we won’t have eyes on us all the time.” Jen takes in a sharp breath. “Let’s make the most of it for now because before we know it, summer vacation will be over and Kathryn will be gone.” She squeezes my hand and I turn to look at her as we head into the cinema. “At least you have someone. I don’t.” The sadness in her eyes kills me. Charli couldn’t sit by and watch us, so she broke it off with Jen.

“Hey.” I stop walking and pull her into a hug. “We’re in this together, okay? I know this situation sucks, but we’ll make it work.” Jen’s arms clamp around my waist as she leans into me, laying her head to my chest. This sucks. I hate this for us, but I can’t stand her being so damned miserable either, so I break the intensity by saying, “I never realized you’re a total short-ass.” I lean my chin on top of her head. “If you were into guys I’d say you’re the perfect height for—”

“Hey!” Jen steps back, balls her hand into a fist, and smacks me on the shoulder. “I dare you to finish that sentence.” I try to control the smile, as does Jen. “In all this time you never made me being gay about anything sexual.”

“Whoa.” I take a step backward with my hands up in surrender. “All I was going to say is you’d be the perfect height to tie my shoelaces.” She squints at me and screws up her mouth. “Maybe that’s not exactly what I was going to say.”

Jen steps forward and punches me in the shoulder again. “Don’t be a dick, and take my damn hand.” She aggressively extends her hand and I flinch backward.

“You’re a little scary for a short-ass.”

Jennifer snickers but she tugs me along to the cinemas. Once inside, Jen tells me she needs to head to the bathroom and breaks away.

“Where’s Jen?” Liam asks as he looks around, joining me.

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