“I’m happy for you,” he added. “You know, happy about you and him.”
I smiled to myself. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Good night, Nick.”
Nick was quiet, and then, “I love you, Charlie.”
“I love you too,” I said.
And then we went to sleep.
CHAPTER 29
SAGE
“I think Luke has a boyfriend,” Reese declaredone night, beaming confidence. The four of us were in her room getting ready for Brooks’ seniors-only “Wild West” mixer. I stopped braiding Jennie’s hair, hoping I’d heard her wrong, because if not…
“Wait, what?” I said.
“I think LM has found himself a boyfriend,” she repeated. “Kinda obvious, isn’t it?”
“What’s obvious?” Nina asked, walking into the room with her phone charger. She hopped up onto Reese’s bed and plugged it into the nearby outlet, looking perfect in her orange flannel and brown fringy skirt.
“Luke has a boyfriend,” Reese said for the third time.
“Oh my god.” Nina nodded quickly. “He totally does! All the texting!”
“And he cuts out early,” Jennie chimed in. “He hasn’t watched a movie with us in forever.”
I wanted to groan. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” was Luke’s signature exit line. “My bed won’t stop calling me.” And then he’d trynot hard enoughto hide his smile as he left to go meet up with Charlie.
“Exactly,” Reese agreed. “Don’t you think, Sage?”
You have to weigh in, I told myself.If you don’t, they’ll think you know something.
“Sage?”
“I guess it’s possible,” I finally said, starting over on one of Jennie’s braids.
“Okay great.” Reese clapped her hands together, and then with a twisted smile, said, “Nowwhodo we think it is?”
“I have to tell you something,” I said when Charlie and I reemerged from tonight’s “saloon.” The kitchen island had been transformed into a bar, with a card game going on at the table and people mingling all around. We’d gone in for a couple of root beers, and now we retreated to a quiet-ish corner of the common room. The girls and Luke were on the far side, caught up in the madness of the mechanical bull. So far Nick had the record for longest ride, but Charlie had made a PSA that he planned on topping it later. (“I thought you were working on his ego,” I’d whispered to Luke, who’d sighed and whispered back, “It’s been a process.”)
Charlie twisted off his bottle cap and took a slug of his soda. I reached up and adjusted his cowboy hat. Tonight he belonged in a John Wayne movie. “What is it?” he asked.
“Okay, so…” I took a deep breath. “The girls are pretty sure that Luke has a boyfriend…and are, um, trying to figure out who it is.” And they’d been warmer rather than colder, suspecting it wassomeone in the closet since Luke told us last month that Tristan Andrews wasn’t his type.
I wasn’t sure how I expected Charlie to react, but he rolled his eyes à la his better half. “Of course they are,” he said. “Can’t anyone mind their own freaking business at this school?”
I didn’t answer, thinking,Why can’t you tell them? They’re your friends.
“I can’t wait for this weekend,” he added under his breath. “To just get out of here.”
My ears pricked up at that. “Where’re you going?” Bexley was giving us a long weekend in honor of MLK Day. My mom was picking me up tomorrow so we could go skiing in the Pocono Mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael were away right now, so the twins were staying on campus.
Charlie glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. “Charlottesville, Virginia.”
