Page 47 of Alive At Night

“I told him we were fucking.”

Jesus Christ.He needed to stop saying it like that. It was not helping anything.

“Why thehellwould you do that?”

The words had no problem tumbling out of my mouth now. They were loud and clear. Very loud and clear. Probably too loud and clear.

“Look,” Julian said, inching forward in a deliberately soft voice that was obviously meant to remind me to keep my voice down. “I—”

“Why, Julian?”

This entire scenario didn’t compute in the slightest. Julian hated me. Why he would want anyone to think we were associated even more than we already were was beyond me.

“Because I wanted to piss him off,” Julian hissed, throwing his hands up. “Because it’s Greg fucking Kenn—”

I stabbed my finger into his overly puffy vest. “You wanted to piss him off, or you wanted to pissmeoff?”

More likely, it was a two-in-one deal for him.

“Him,” Julian said firmly. “And don’t pretend like you didn’t want to do the same. I saw your face when he was talking to you. I saw how you felt.”

“You don’t need to do that overprotective thing with me, Julian.” I stabbed him even harder with my finger. That would surely show him. Right? “You have five sisters you can do that for, but I’m not one of them.”

“Trust me.” He tossed his head back with a laugh that stung because of its implication. Then he looked down at me, lowering his voice. “I’m well aware you’re not my sister.”

I spun on my heel, walking toward the edge of the garage. God,whydid he have the ability to make me feel this way?

The rain broke the tension, coming down harder against the pavement.

“I’m sorry, Juni.” Julian’s sigh was ragged, echoing in the empty space. “I know you’re mad.”

“I’m…” My sigh matched his as I came down from my initial shock, feeling deflated. “Not,” I finished, surprising even myself. I was confused, yes. Pissed at the things he’d said, yes. But I wasn’t reallymad.

See, there was an irony here that I appreciated. Greg had a multitude of excuses for cheating on me in high school, but there was one that hurt more than others: I wouldn’t put out. Sex hadn’t been on the table. I wasn’t ready for it. Not with him. So, of course, he had to get it elsewhere.

If allegedly sleeping with Julian was what got Greg Kennedy to finally leave me alone, well, that was rather poetic, wasn’t it?

He didn’t need to know it wasn’t true. He didn’t need to know I still hadn’t put out for anyone. Ever.

“You’re…not.” Julian said the words with slow disbelief.

I shook my head. “If it keeps Greg Kennedy as far away as possible, it’s hard to be mad.”

He had been sliding into my DMs and lurking around my house whenever I was in town for far too long.

“I’ll drink to that,” Julian grunted, lifting his beer to clink it against my plastic cup.

I rolled my eyes. Did he think he was off the hook? Because I was still working very hard to resist punching him square in the nose.

“If Greg starts running his mouth about us, I will personally end you, Julian Briggs.”

The town was small, and word of mouth spread fast.

“I’d like to see that.” His lips curved up. “But he won’t,” he added, seeming pretty sure of himself. But of course he had to be sure; he wouldn’t want more people to think he actuallylikedme.

Before I could reply, Greg’s squealing car tires returned. Oh, shit. I’d hoped he was gone for good. But he just kept coming back—like a goddamn boomerang. I tipped my cup back, trying to drown myself in sickly sweet alcohol.

“Easy there, Lily.” Julian’s voice was husky and incredibly close—the only reason I didn’t jump when I lowered my drink to see him directly before me, only inches away. “Stuff’s strong. I would know. I made it.”

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