We said our polite goodbyes, and then the camera clicked off.
I fell back against my chair. “That was nerve-racking,” I admitted.
Brooks didn’t say anything.
I turned to him. He was still staring at the computer like the interview wasn’t over. “Are you okay?” I asked. I had a very strong feeling that he wasn’t.
Brooksfinally looked at me. The question in his eyes hurt. I could see he was confused and maybe even a little bit betrayed. “Why didn’t you tell me the interview was specifically about us?”
I dropped my gaze to my hands and picked at a chip in my nail. “I—didn’t want to bother you with it.”
“Bother me?”
“Put pressure on you?” I looked back at Brooks. “You’ve done enough for me and—”
“I’ve done enough?”
“No, I mean, you’ve helped out so much with this whole fake dating thing, and it’s blown up into such a big deal that I—”
“A big deal,” he repeated.
“Well, yes, and if I told you about the interview topic, I was afraid you’d think my application hinged on you.”
“It sort of did,” he retorted.
“Well, yeah, but—that wasn’t fair to you.”
“It wasn’t fair not to tell me, either.”
“No,” I admitted. “I guess not.”
Nothing about any of this was fair, or made sense, or was easily navigated.
“You did really good, though. Thank you,” I added.
Brooks nodded, his brows furrowed. “Whydoyou like pink and white tulips? Reece told me those were your favorites.”
“Because—” Tears sprang to my eyes. I felt so stupid. So dumb. But I owed him an honest answer. “Because when I was little, my grandpa would take me to opening day of the Brewers, and he always had a pink and a white tulip on the front seat of his car, waiting for me. I don’t know why he picked those. But he did. I’ve loved them ever since.”
Brooks nodded, seeming to digest that information.
We were both quiet for a long moment. Finally, Brooks mustered a tight smile. “Well, I guess we’ve made it through a month.”
“I guess so.” I nodded.
“And, next up, our extra credit Lit project.”
“And baseball,” I added.
“Yeah. Baseball.”
For a moment, I thought Brooks was going to say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he gave me another smile, and I offered one in return, and the whole moment seemed thick with unspoken somethings. But I didn’t know what.
“We should probably go,” I said.
“Yeah.” Brooks stood up suddenly, as though realizing we were alone in my dad’s office. “Before your dad finds out I helped you in your interview.”
“No kidding.” I laughed nervously.
