“I’m going to grab a drink.”I close my laptop and swing my feet over the side of Sutton’s bed before crossing the room to stand behind her. She’s sitting at the desk, back straight, perched on the edge of her chair. It looks uncomfortable as hell, and yet, she hasn’t moved in two hours. “You want anything?”
“A refill would be great, actually.” She hands me her water bottle without looking up from the screen. “I’m just going to do one more read through and then I think we’re done.”
Praise Jesus. We’ve been at it for two hours, working in a shared document to strengthen our conclusion and ensure the sections we each wrote blend smoothly to create one cohesive analysis. If I don’t get a break soon, my brain is going to melt and leak out of my ears.
I plant a kiss on the top of her head and turn for the door, careful not to trip over her bag this time. I shake my head, still unable to wrap my brain around the fact that Sutton is the Waverly mascot. Not in a million years would I have guessed my sassy little spitfire was inside that suit cheering the team on.
Hell, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even like football.
Which explains so much.
When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I cross into the open concept living room and kitchen to find Maddie sprawled on the couch watching tv.
“Hey, Maddie.”
“Parker.” She smirks, which is oddly disconcerting on her pixie-like face. “You two are working awfully late tonight.”
“Paper’s due at midnight.”
She makes a noncommittal sound as I stride to the fridge and open the door. It’s the complete opposite of the fridge in my apartment, which is always crammed full. There’s an assortment of yogurt, a pitcher of filtered water, a takeout salad, and a couple bottles of Powerade I brought over with me. I grab a Powerade and the pitcher of water and push the door shut with my foot. Maddie’s still watching as I set my haul on the counter and twist the top off Sutton’s water bottle.
“I guess that means you won’t be hanging around the apartment anymore.” I must look confused because she adds, “You know, now that the paper from hell is finally done.”
“I— Guess not.”
Unease stirs in my gut as I fill the water bottle. Will Sutton want to end our arrangement when the project is finished? I’d hoped we could keep this thing between us going through the end of the semester. Or, at least until things with the internship heat up.
I’m not ready to let her go—not even close—but we never discussed an expiration date.
That’s because you were thinking with your cock.
Facts. I don’t even think we agreed to exclusivity. Not that I’d hook up with someone else while we’re sleeping together. And she wouldn’t either. I know that with certainty. It’s not her style. Still, the realization that she might not want me as badly as I want her is a kick in the balls.
“I’m sure you’re both glad to be done with it,” Maddie continues. “You guys have spent an insane amount of time together.”
My head snaps up and water splashes over the side of the bottle. “Excuse me?”
“Personally, I’ve never invested that much time in a group project, but maybe I just haven’t found the right partner. I’ve certainly never been asenthusiasticas you two. From the sounds of it, you two have had some prettyheateddiscussions up there.” She nods toward the ceiling and twirls a strand of hair around her finger, that smug grin still fixed in place as I grab a towel and mop up the spill. “According to Sutton, it’s A+ work, so high five for that.”
I stiffen. Is Maddie fucking with me right now? Does she know Sutton and I have been hooking up? More importantly, does Sutton know Maddie knows?
Doesn’t matter. I’m not saying shit. I promised to keep our arrangement secret, so that’s what I’m going to do.
“Let’s just hope Mac agrees.” I return the pitcher of water to the fridge. “We’re going to need it if we want a shot at that internship.”
“Who knows?” Maddie shrugs. “Maybe something even better will come along.”
“Doubtful. There is nothing more important to me right now than scoring that internship. It could make or break my future.”
“Talk about shortsighted.” She sighs and turns back to the tv. “Swear to God you and Sutton are peas in a freaking pod.”
Okay, this is just getting weird. I screw the top on the water bottle, grab my Powerade, and say goodnight.
When I return to the bedroom, Sutton’s hunched over her laptop, lost in thought. Her fingers fly across the keyboard and I peek over her shoulder just in time to see her make a correction to my part of the paper.
“What are you doing?” I slide her water bottle onto the desk and twist the cap off my drink before taking a long swig.
“Just making a few corrections.”
