Oh…Shit. I vaguely recall something along those lines. The whole thing was so idiotic… But no matter how stupid I thought it was, I should’ve made it clear I wasn’t interested.
“I know Heath didn’t win. Otherwise he would’ve said something already and made us streak.”
Fuck…
“So.” He leans closer with a smarmy smile. “Was she really a virgin?”
I shove him away from the car, hoping Aspen doesn’t notice any of this. “Dude! It’s none of your business. Jesus. Just shut the fuck up.”
“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you actually have feelings for her or something?” He spreads his hands out. “It’s just… She’s just a bet.”
I steal a glance in Aspen’s direction, praying she hasn’t heard. “I’m warning you.Shut. Up.Now, I gotta go.”
Confusion clouds his face. “Hey, I’m just trying to be cool about it. It isn’t like you’re the one who has to streak.”
“We’ll talk about itlater.”Away from Aspen. “Just zip it, okay?”
“Fine. If you want to be nice about it and spare her feelings, I get it.” He gives me a conspiratorial grin. “But how about an introduction? I never even got to really meet her. Saying hi at the café doesn’t count, right?” He steps forward, using a hand to rake his hair into slightly better order.
“No.” I push him away firmly. “I need to go.”
I get into the car and slam the door fast as Will shouts, “Why’re you acting like some friggin’ virgin?”
He says something more and gestures wildly, but I peel out of the airport, the tires squealing.
Aspen cannot know about that idiotic bet. Ever.
* * *
Aspen
“Are you okay?” I ask as Grant speeds out of the lot and down the long stretch of the road, his jaw tight.
“What?”
“That guy at the airport. Who was it?” Grant’s been tense since running into him. What did they talk about?
“Oh.” Grant’s mouth tightens for a second, his eyebrows pulling together, which means he’s thinking. “That was Will. Nobody important.” He smiles, but the tension in his neck betrays his agitation.
“But important enough that you said hi.” I’m dying of curiosity since I heard him say something about acting like a virgin before Grant shut the door. I don’t want to be stupid and jump to conclusions, but I want to know if that virgin refers to me. I don’t think he would brag to his friends or anything—it just doesn’t fit my image of him—but…not knowing is making me crazy.
“He’s just my roommate.”
“You could’ve introduced us. It looked like he wanted to say hi.”
“Trust me, I did you a massive favor. It isn’t like we’re going to hang out,” Grant says.
That hurts. “Why don’t you want me to meet your friends?”
“Because heisn’ta friend. He’s nothing.”
These evasive responses are triggering my bullshit radar. He wasn’t like this in Malibu, and I don’t know why he is now. “Do you room with people you don’t like?”
“When I don’t have any choice, yeah. I’ll be moving as soon as I get something better. He was just a means to an end, and this topic is closed.”
I sit back in my seat, stunned at his autocratic attitude. It’s like a wall’s slammed down between us. I understood how he might not want to introduce me to the guy who works for his dad. People have their differences. But Grant also doesn’t seem to want me to meet his father, either. I didn’t think too much of it because he was more than happy to meet my grandparents and charm them. But now his reluctance is making me wonder…
“Are you embarrassed about being seen with me in public?” I ask.
