"I know I'm not. But thanks…for dinner."
"Anything for you," he says without looking up.
I can't tell if it's sarcasm. I can't read him at all.
I finish Elias's homework just before the pizza arrives and join them at the far end of the couch. Nolan ends up getting me my pineapple and jalapeño pizza. He refuses to try it, but he brings me a bottle of hot sauce, silently setting it next to me on the coffee table. I pour an exuberant amount over my pizza before my phone vibrates.
"Who is it?"
Nervously, I reach for the device without answering him. But when I open my phone, it's just a picture of Dax in his suit. I bite back a smile. A pang of longing hits me right in the chest, unwanted and incredibly uncomfortable.
Without replying, I set the phone aside and pick up a piece of pizza. "It's just Dax."
"You miss him."
It's not a question, but I answer like it was, anyway. "No, I don't."
He laughs a little. "Liar."
"I don't miss him, I just—"I just really like the way he holds me, and you never will."I just had a really bad day."
"It'll be okay," Nolan says. "We'll figure out who's doing this."
"I want to go back to my dorm."
"I know." He nudges me with his shoulder. "I like having you around, though, even though you murdered my fish."
"Don't say that word. And it wasn't me."
"Which word? Murder?"
"Yes!"
"Sorry, killer."
I shake my head.
"It's not been that bad, though, right?" he asks, smiling just a little.
I know what he means—he's asking about last night. I don't look at him when I answer. "Not entirely."
We finish eating, and then sit together quietly in the dark, just barely not touching, watchingThe Nightmare Before Christmas.Once the movie ends, Nolan tells Avery she has to go to bed.
"Will you read some more of my book to me?" she asks.
"Sure."
"What book are you reading?" I ask.
"The Giver!"
"Ohhh…I know that one; it's a good one."
"He just got the sledding memory," she adds.
"Man…you're getting to the good stuff, then."
"But only one chapter, okay?" Nolan says. "It's late, and I'm tired."
