A frown tugs at the corners of my mouth. Keeping secrets is one thing; lying and gaslighting is something worse. “No, Shane. Not a dream.”
“Avery, we talked about this.” Unlocking his front door, he pulls it open for me.
“About what?”
“You digging into things that aren’t your business.” He closes the door behind us, and flicks on the living room’s recessed lights.
“I’m living here right now, so itiskind of my business.”
His palm connects with my ass in a light swat, causing me to suck in a startled breath. “Behave yourself, kitten.”
My nipples tighten at his use of that pet name, which only makes me more annoyed. My eyes narrow, and my frown deepens. “Cut it out. I can’t help it if I’m a light sleeper.”
“No, but you can help whether you ask questions.”
“Don’t be a hypocrite.”
He goes still, his expression darkening. “Come again?”
Standing up straighter, I look him in the eye. “One minute, you act like we belong together like fairytale characters. The next, I’m an interloper in your house who it’s ok to lie to. Make up your mind. This is either a temporary situation, or I’m your girlfriend. You don’t get to change the dynamic whenever it suits you.”
His scowl deepens. “Don’t act like you want to go back to when the only thing I did was order you to your knees. That’s not how you want to be treated, and we both know it.”
“I wouldn’t like it, no. But I also don’t like being lied to or kept in the dark.”
“Even if you were my girlfriend, there are things I wouldn’t talk about. Not just for my own sake. For yours, too.”
My face clouds. Things are so murky because of his criminal connections. I want him to trust me enough to confide in me, but maybe therearethings I’m better off not knowing. Though, how can I be involved with someone I don’t really know? That’s not a real relationship.
Shane walks into the kitchen, leaving us at an impasse.
So stubborn. And so heartbreakingly skilled at staying out of reach.
From the living room, I text my mom to say I’m not sure I can make it for brunch. She texts back, very insistent. Mom says they’ll come to Granthorpe, which I don’t want, so I relent.
I tell her Shane will be with me. It’s obvious by her reply that she's not anxious to see him. Mom reiterates that I don’t need to rely on Shane for transportation.
And I remind her I want her to be nice to him. I add that I'm much safer spending time with him than spending time alone on campus and that I hope she won't do anything to jeopardize my safety. Since she's so protective, I’m sure that tactic will work as well as anything could.
19
AVERY
When I come downstairs to leave for brunch, Shane’s wearing a button-down shirt and modern dark gray sport coat with jeans. As is often the case, his style is the perfect marriage of casual and rich.
In a sharply tailored burgundy and ivory dress, I’m dressed more for a business meeting than a breezy brunch, but it’s the only dress other than the blue one that I have on campus.
His gaze takes me in, pausing at a thin gold chain that circles my left ankle. It’s a string of small X’s and O’s and was a Valentine’s gift from my mom. Her favorite way of saying I love you is with presents.
After I step down onto the landing, I smooth the fabric of my skirt which rode up my thighs on the descent. “It’s great that we’re doing this. They’re excited to see us.”
Shane doesn’t roll his eyes, but he comes close. “Sure.”
“Hey, if they do anything that starts to make the conversation awkward, let me handle it, okay? I’ll try to smooth it over.”
He gives me a sideways glance as he opens the front door and ushers me out. “I don't need you to run interference, Avery. If they’re cool, I will be, too. Otherwise, I’m gone.”
The mood has been tense between us since I called him out over his lies. Now add in our parents, and this may be the shortest brunch in history.
