CHAPTER 25
SAGE
Is it appropriate,I wondered Sunday afternoon,to invite another girl’s boyfriend to watch a movie?
Luke, unfortunately, didn’t think so.
“So you wouldn’t trust Charlie?” I asked, disappointed. “If someone invited him to get parietals, and he said yes?”
“No, I didn’t say that.” Luke shook his head. “I meant that I wouldn’t trustyouandNick.” He smirked from over on the therapy couch. “He’s been looking at you again.”
My heart skipped. “What?”
“Yup, breakfast, lunch, and dinner—he looks over at our table. The old routine has resumed.”
Because I’ve been looking at him too, I thought. Just the other day I’d watched Nick and his sweet tooth seriously contemplate his options at Addison’s dessert station. Chocolate cake? Vanilla? Or maybe coconut? I’d only looked away when Emma sidled up to him and pointed to the vanilla, the most classic but also the most boring choice.
Nick served himself a slice, but also a coconut one.
But before I could tell Luke, Charlie slipped through my door.“Hey,” I said. “How’d you get in?” I’d had to swipe Luke in with my student ID and then we asked for parietals permission from my housemaster.
In response, he held up an old-fashioned metal key. “Easy.” He smiled. “I have the keys to the kingdom.” He shucked off his coat. “And snuck up the back stairs.”
I rolled my eyes as Luke shifted on the chaise. “Hey there,” he said, smirking and patting the spot next to him. “Mon petit ami.”
Charlie blushed and joined hispetit ami.Luke gave him a quick kiss and then grinned when Charlie hid his face in Luke’s neck and mumbled something. I kept quiet, letting them have a moment. If I did say so myself, I was the best third wheel ever.
But it kind of sucked.
“You too,” Luke replied, then turned to me and gestured to the big white sheet tacked up on my wall. “So, Netflix?”
I nodded and moved to set up our show. Back in October, Nick had announced that my laptop screen wasn’t cutting it anymore for our movies. “Then I guess we’ll have to switch to your room,” I’d replied. “I can’t get a TV.” I wrinkled my nose. “Prefect privilege.”
“But I like yours better,” he said. “Your bed is better…” He coughed. “You know, more comfortable, with all your fluffy pillows and stuff…”
The next week, he’d shown up with a cardboard box. Inside were the makings of a movie theater. “Where did you even get that?” I asked, watching as he hooked up the projector. It wasn’t ancient-looking, but wasn’t brand new either.
“Granddad and Nana,” he replied. “They’re still decluttering. Nana read some book about it and is obsessed with purging.”
We’d watchedTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Beforethat night, but right now, with Luke and Charlie, I couldn’t pay attention to the crime family drama they’d chosen. My mind instead rewound itself toThe Holiday.Nick had come over one day during winter break, and we’d watched it again after baking brownies together, the talking and joking somehow so easy again. “You know Iris’s cottage isn’t even real,” he said through a forkful of brownie. “The facade is total CGI.”
I’d given him a look, and replied in my best Southern drawl: “‘You’re shittin’ me, right?’”
Nick cracked up at theSweet Home Alabamaline. It always came back toSweet Home Alabamafor us. “‘No,’” he quoted back. “‘I’m notshittingyou.’” He grinned, dimple and all. “Well, a little. It’s not CGI, but production did build it for the movie. All the interior shots were filmed on a soundstage in Culver City.”
“Way to ruin the fantasy,” I joked, but my voice came out breathy—my heart suddenly beating so fast.
Nick noticed, breaking our eye contact to glance down at the already half-eaten brownies. “We should make another batch tomorrow,” he said, pointing at the pan. “But take them out early, so they’re gooey in the middle.”
“Okay, yeah.” I nodded quickly. “Good idea.”
And then I smiled.
He was coming over again.
By the time the TV show ended, it was dark outside and Luke had fallen asleep with his head against Charlie’s shoulder. “Look at him,”Charlie said softly, so softly that I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself. “He’s so cute.”
“Yes,” I agreed, and snapped a photo. “Absolutely adorable.”
