“He’s not a fling.He’s my brother’s best friend.”
“What?!One of the douchebags who pretended like you never existed after they graduated?”
Shame wriggles through me as I realize how little I’ve told him over the years even as I claimed him as my best friend.
“Yes, but he’s the CEO of the largest sports safety equipment producer, so—”
“A jock?!Penelope Everly Miles!You never told me—”
“I know.Just because our bullies were jocks doesn’t mean they’re all horrible.My brother was a jock, too, and he—”
Peter jerks his palm up and gives me an aggressivestopgesture as he shakes his head.
“Don’t call that cretin your brother.You know how I feel about him.”
I sigh.
“Yeah, I do.My bad.”
Peter shoves a handful of fries in his mouth.I choose my next victim—the chicken wing in the corner of the container—and smear it through the spicy sauce before leaning over my paper plate and taking a messy bite.Several paper towels and wet wipes later, I grab a fry and coat it in the sauce.Peter speaks as I pop it into my mouth.
“So not a fling, huh?”
I nearly die choking on my food.After clearing my throat with a swig of soda, I answer him honestly.
“No, but I definitely had a crush on him.”
I wince as he squeals.
“It was totally one-sided,” I rush to explain.“He was a senior.I was at least two years younger than the other freshman.He asked me to be his tutor in computer science after saving me from… anyway, he’s the CEO.I’ll be programming computers.We’ll hardly see each other.”
Even as I speak, Sebastian’s declaration that he’ll be my liaison rings in my head.I push it aside, adding it to the pile of things I don’t believe.Just like his promise before he graduated and his sweetly rumbled ‘anything for you, sweet pea’ during my contract negotiations, I label it as wishful thinking and tuck it away for if I ever have a good dream instead of nightmares.
“But he offered you a deal you couldn’t refuse?”
Peter’s insistence aggravates me.I don’t understand what point he’s trying to make.
“I could have refused it.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“The benefits and pay are amazing,” I say.
“And?”
“And I get to keep my intellectual property.”
I don’t know why I sound so defensive.
“And?”he asks again.
“And what?”
My exasperated voice echoes in the silence.After a moment, Peter smirks and pats my arm before standing and flouncing down the hall.
