It’s not like I owe them the truth. We’ve been lying about this fake relationship right from the start, so what’s one more? But I guess the beer went to my head, or maybe I just feel more comfortable than I’m used to with these guys.
Matty rubs my leg. He looks up to me with a gentle smile, but I can see there’s a cloud of confusion in his eyes, too.
He’s looking at me like he might not know me. It makes my stomach twist.
Before the conversation can pick up again, a noise erupts from the kitchen, and the rest of the friends emerge, laughing and carrying a birthday cake. The mood changes in an instant, and I let out a slow breath.
I’m happy here and with Matty, but if he knew my whole story, he might not feel the same way.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
MATTY
Back in thetiny bedroom that Stone and I have claimed for the night, there’s a thunderstorm shaking the windows. It’s been brewing since dinner, but when it finally broke open, the lightning cracked so loud I jumped.
Still, I barely notice it. I’m wrapped up in the storm brewing in Stone’s eyes instead.
He steps over to his bag and starts to rummage around while I sit on the bed. The six-pack we split has left me lightheaded, and I can’t help but stare while light flashes outside, casting shadows on his face.
Just one night by the lake; then I’ll be back to work at my studio. But while we’re here, away from our usual lives, I can’t stop myself from asking.
“You doing okay? You seem a little distant.”
Stone turns to look at me. The sleeves on his black sweatshirt are rolled up, showing the dark tattoos on his forearms. “Yeah. Fine. Tired.”
“Damn it,” I say. “We’ve lost the full sentences again, haven’t we?”
He rolls his eyes as he stands up, but a slight smile plays on his face. “How about you? How’d it feel spending the night with Milo and his new boyfriend?”
I take his hand and pull him to the small bed. He’s trying to change the subject, but I’m not going to let him. He’s been frowning at the wall ever since he mentioned the thing about being expelled, and I don’t like it.
“Not bad,” I say but skip the last part,considering you’re here with me.“But hey, you never mentioned that you were expelled from high school before.”
Stone pulls one leg up on the bed to face me. His eyelids are drooping, and rain pounds the window behind him. “Not much to say about it.”
I cross my arms and give him a look. He chuckles, and I feel proud of myself.
I don’t even have to use words anymore. We’ve got a look.
“It was for a fight,” he says.
“They expelled you after one fight?”
He frowns. “My second fight, and it was with a teacher.”
My mouth drops open. When he first mentioned being expelled, it had taken me by surprise, but I figured there was some kind of explanation. I knew he’d had a tough life, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes myself, so it was pretty easy to fit this new information into my idea of him.
But fighting a teacher? That’s beyond anything I imagined.
“Wow,” I finally manage.
“Yeah,” he answers with a rough voice. “I’m lucky I didn’t go to juvie, but I was sixteen, and my art teacher stood up for me.”
“How’d it happen?”
He keeps his eyes toward the floor and doesn’t say anything for a minute. I see him wrestling with something, and instinctively, I reach out and take his hand. I squeeze his fingers, and the warmth that shoots through my body reminds me that this is the Stone I’ve spent the past month with.
Stone, who I’m starting to care about in ways that scare me.
