“No.” I lifted the hem of my sweater, inspecting the stitched front. “My cousin. I’m just visiting for the weekend.” Lies were getting easier. Too easy.
“Got it. Then why this little town outside of Cambridge?” Henry asked, lifting his beer.
“Don’t answer him—it’s none of his business.” Thomas shot him a middle finger, and Henry rolled his eyes. “Here—sit.” Thomas pulled out a chair beside Jake, and I lowered myself into it as he went off to find another.
Kelly talked with her whole body—hands slicing through the air, her face lighting up with every word. I couldn’t quite catch the story over the jukebox and the laughter from the table behind us. I leaned forward, trying to follow—
—but was cut off by the scrape of metal as Thomas dragged a chair up to the table.
I took a cautious sip of my beer. Watery, bitter—barely there. I swallowed anyway.
Jake was starting to appear a little green.
Between Thomas and Henry bickering and Kelly’s rapid-fire storytelling, no one else seemed to notice.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, resting a hand on his shoulder when the noise dipped just enough to be heard.
Jake gagged at my touch, which made Kelly yelp and jump from her seat while Henry lunged across the table to grab Jake’s beer. Jake shot to his feet, nearly tripping over my chairas he bolted for the nearest bathroom with a hand clamped over his mouth.
“Dear Lord.” Kelly pressed a hand to her chest, eyes darting between the bathroom door and Jake’s empty seat. “How many shots did you feed that boy, Henry?”
Henry snickered—earning a smack to the chest. “He’s fine. He can handle it.”
“I think not—he’s barfing in the bathroom!” Kelly snapped.
“Ugh.” Henry rolled his eyes, pushing his chair back. “Guess I better drive him home. Sorry this was cut short, Liz—it was good to meet you. Maybe we can set something up tomorrow? There’s a football game.”
Kelly stood as well, raking her hair back into a messy ponytail. “You two have fun. Be careful. Looks like I’m playing nurse tonight.” She winked at me, waving like a prom queen before following Henry toward the bathroom.
“Wow.” Thomas gave me a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. I thought this group would be more fun, but I dragged you over here just to end up alone with me.”
My face warmed as I let out a small laugh. “No—I’m sorry. I apparently have the touch of death.”
His shoulders shook with laughter, nearly sloshing his drink. “Nah. Kelly was right—they pregamed before coming here, and Jake talks a big game about holding his liquor. Henry just encourages it.”
Thomas was a nice guy. Over the next two hours, he kept buying me cheap beer, and we talked about everything—and nothing—once his friends left. I was drawn to him, the golden retriever energy in the way his face lit up when he asked questions or talked about his life. He played rugby. He was studying business law. One more year, while the rest of his friends would graduate in the spring.
“This is sudden—and if you’re not interested, no pressure…” He rolled an empty can between his fingers. “But it’s getting late. I could take you out to dinner… or bring you home. I don’t know. Are you staying nearby?”
I hadn’t seen Erich once since we got there. I had no idea where he was—or how he was doing—but the steady buzz of beer dulled my judgment enough to spark a thought: if he came back to the motel and found me in bed with Thomas, maybe I’d finally get the reaction I’d been craving.
“I’m staying a few blocks over at the Sunshine Motel,” I said. “We could order pizza and watch a movie?”
Thomas’s brows lifted. He set the can down beside the three he’d already finished. “That’s a rough place. You’re staying there alone?”
I nodded slowly. It hadn’t seemed worse than anywhere else I’d stayed, but maybe I’d stopped noticing. “I am. It was cheap.”
He stood immediately, keys already in hand. “That’s not safe. Decision made—I’m staying with you. You can make me a bed on the floor.”
I laughed softly at the irony. The thought that I already had someone who did that for me flickered through my mind. “You’re a true gentleman.”
He smiled, grabbing his jacket from the back of my chair and draping it over my shoulders before taking my wrist and leading me toward the door.
Thomas was pretty. Easy. Safe. I could have fun with him—and he wouldn’t push me into anything I didn’t want.
“What movies do you like?” he asked, holding the door open as the cold fall air hit us.
“Hmm… romances, mostly.” I pulled his jacket closer around me. It smelled clean—like a brand-new car or a department store. “But I’m not picky.”
