"Someone has to be." I tried to smile, but my heart was pounding. "Tomorrow night, at the party, we have to be extra careful. No lingering looks. No touching. Nothing that could give us away."
"That's going to kill me."
"Me too." I kissed him again, deeper this time. "But after Westpoint, we tell him. No matter what. We can't keep living like this."
"After Westpoint," he agreed. "I promise."
We held each other for a long moment, both knowing that the end of our secret was coming, whether we were ready or not.
The next evening, I stood in front of my dorm room mirror, adjusting my disco ball earrings. Daisy had outdone herself with our costumes. I was dressed in a sparkly silver halter top, high-waisted flared pants, and platform shoes. My hair was in perfect waves, and I'd even added glittery eyeshadow.
"You look hot," Daisy declared, appearing beside me in her Cher costume, a long black wig, a sequined crop top, and bell-bottoms. "Derek's not going to be able to keep his hands off you."
"Daisy."
"Oh, please. Everyone knows you two have been hooking up." She grinned at my shocked expression. "What? You think you're subtle? The way you look at each other is ridiculous. Plus, all those late-night phone calls, I can hear you, you know? I’m hurt you never told me, but still happy for you."
"We're not..."
"Rosalie. I'm your roommate. You sneak out almost every night. You come back with that dopey smile on your face. And you've been humming a lot more lately." She touched up her lipstick. "I think it's cute. Derek's hot, he obviously worships you, and you're happy. I'm sad you didn't tell me, but otherwise, what's the problem?"
"Aaron," I said quietly. "Aaron's the problem."
Daisy's expression softened. "Yeah, I figured. But Rosie... you can't live your life for your brother. Eventually, he's going to have to deal with the fact that you're an adult who makes her own choices."
"I know. We're going to tell him. After the Westpoint game."
"Good," she said, grabbing her purse. "Now come on. We have a party to dominate."
The soccer house was already packed when we arrived, music thumping loud enough to rattle the windows. Someone, most likely Ivy, had gone all out with decorations: fake cobwebs everywhere, jack-o'-lanterns lining the walkway, string lights creating an eerie glow.
"This is amazing," Daisy breathed, her eyes scanning the crowd for Jeremy.
I spotted my brother immediately, dressed as a boxer with fake blood on his lip. He was laughing with Liam, who'd come as a pirate. My eyes automatically searched for Derek, finding him across the room talking to Max.
He'd gone with the lazy athlete costume route, just his jersey and some eye black, but somehow he still looked incredible. When our eyes met, electricity sparked between us, even across the crowded room.
Then he deliberately looked away.
Right. We were being careful.
"Rosie!" Ivy appeared, dressed as a Greek goddess in a flowing white dress. "You look incredible! Come on, Nova's setting up beer pong."
She dragged me toward the back patio, where Nova, dressed as a vampire, was organizing teams. I let myself be pulled into the game, trying to focus on having fun rather than constantly tracking Derek’s whereabouts.
But I was hyperaware of him. Every time he laughed, every time he moved, I felt it like a physical pull.
"Earth to Rosalie," Nova waved a hand in front of my face. "Your turn."
I grabbed the ping pong ball, trying to concentrate. My shot went wide, missing the cup completely.
"Wow, you're really off your game tonight," Nova observed. "Everything okay?"
"Fine. Just tired."
"Right." She didn't push, but I caught the knowing look she exchanged with Ivy.
An hour into the party, I was starting to relax. Maybe this would be okay. Maybe we could get through one night without incident.
