My fixation on Eva is stupid, yeah. Toxic, probably. But a fucking crush? Not even close.
I spot her talking to someone across the room. She’s wearing an easy smile I rarely see. Her eyes meet mine, and she says something that prompts the guy in front of her to look my way.
My shoulders relax when I see who it is. I make my way toward them with Whitney still trailing behind. “You’re late, man.”
“Takes serious effort to look this good.” My brother grins and pulls me in for a brief hug. He leans back to scan me up and down. “Looking sharp, big bro.”
A corner of my lips tips up. Isaac’s almost four years older than me, but I outgrew his 5’9” frame two years ago. He’s referred to me as his “big” brother ever since.
“You’re gonna call me that till the day we die, aren’t you?”
“Damn straight, I am.” He winks. “See what I did there?”
Eva smirks.
“Aren’t you looking handsome, Isaac,” Whitney says, stepping toward him with a smile so genuine you’d never suspect our heated argument just seconds ago.
His grin stretches. “Little Whit, you’re looking fierce.”
While the two of them hug and catch up, I flick my gaze to Eva. She’s avoiding me like a pro. I continue to stare, to try to get a read on her, and I wish I could just fucking ask if she’s okay like a normal person would. My frown deepens when Isaac bumps my elbow with his.
“Well, will you look at that ...” he says, nodding toward the plain silver bracelet on Whitney’s wrist.
Whitney’s cheeks redden as she fidgets with her bracelet, and she folds her arms over her chest to hide it. “Don’t act so surprised.”
Isaac chuckles. “I knew you were taking the pledge seriously, but I figured by now, you would’ve broken it. With our brother as your boyfriend? Just saying, not sure I buy it.”
Eva’s brows furrow. She has no idea what he’s talking about, and based on the way Whitney shifts on her heels and laughs awkwardly, Whitney doesn’t want her to know either.
To most people, the sleek silver chain looks insignificant. Only Isaac would recognize it. He was with Whitney the day she went to Tiffany’s and purchased it, declaring it her purity bracelet. She keeps the whole abstinence deal under tight wraps, but she trusts Isaac. As she should. It took two years of proving his devotion to the cause and his church group before he felt he’d truly earned his own purity ring. He was eighteen and already in college when he stepped away from the party scene and nixed sex until marriage, a born-again virgin in a sense.
Whitney’s just a virgin. She’s walked in on her dad with other women one too many times, but it was the last time a few years back, involving a girl her own age, that cemented her decision to wait. She’s serious as all hell about the pledge. The most we’ve done is make out, and even that’s rare depending on who she wants to make a scene for.
“Easton is a gentleman,” Whitney says, slipping her arm around mine. “You know that.”
My jaw tightens as I shrug her arm off. Again. She’s paying me to keep up appearances, but Eva’s eyes are burning into me, and I can’t bring myself to pretend in front of her this time.
“You’ve been together for, what?” Isaac looks between us. “Over two years now? No one’s that much of a gentleman.” He smirks. “I’m the exception, and I credit my gayness for my gentlemanly ways.”
“I’m missing something,” Eva says, eyes curious. “What does the bracelet mean?”
Whitney fakes a laugh, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second. “I need to use the restroom.” She glances at me. “Walk me there, babe?” She leans in to kiss me.
I turn my head slightly so her lips land on my cheek, but I’m not quick enough. She catches my mouth. It’s only a second, but that’s all it takes for a visible swallow to pass through Eva’s throat.
“Please?” Whitney asks, her expression almost sincere, and then she whispers, “Give me a chance to fix this with you.”
My attention slides to Eva, who narrows her eyes. She doesn’t hear what Whitney’s saying, but the way she’s speaking intimately into my ear looks all kinds of fucking wrong. Something Whitney is clearly pleased about. She flashes a slow smile Eva’s way.
Clenching my jaw, I take a step back and nod toward Isaac. “Go ahead, man. Tell her about the bracelet.” Whitney sputters something in protest, but it’s lost on me as I turn and walk away.
A moment later, Whitney stomps up beside me. “You can’t let him tell her. Our deal was to never tell anyone about our arrangement, not even family, and there’s no way she’ll buy that we’re a real couple if she knows we aren’t sleeping together.”
“It’s a bracelet, Whit. Don’t wear it if you don’t want people to ask.”
It’s one thing to want Eva as badly as I do; it’s another to know she wants me too. After everything she said to me in the bathroom the other night, she still thinks I left the party with Whitney. I can’t fucking stand the thought.
Whitney scoffs. “It’s nondescript for a reason! You’re seriously toeing the line. I won’t pay you if you break our agreement, Easton. That’s not right.”
