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While I waited, I looked at her shelves again, getting a better idea of her reading tastes. It didn’t take a lot of looking to realize that she had a lot of romance. Like, a lot, and in a range of genres. It also didn’t escape my notice that she had quite a collection of sapphic romances. And erotica. That was extremely interesting.

“I’m ready, I’m ready,” Tenley said, rushing back into the room. She wore a t-shirt and joggers and had a plaid shacket slung over her arm. Her hair was pulled up and her fingers were stacked with gold rings.

“It’s not like there’s a definitive start time,” I said. Those kinds of parties never had a set start time.

“Okay, let’s go,” she said, slipping her shacket on.

“I brought your book back,” I said, holding it up and setting it on one of the tables.

“Great, thanks. I’ll inspect it later and determine if I can lend you another book,” she said, grabbing her bag.

“I think you’ll be pleased,” I said, twirling my keys on my finger. This time I was driving. I’d mostly agreed because I thought Tenley was going to want to go a little wild tonight.

I’d done a quick clean of my car before coming over, but Tenley hopped into the passenger seat without a comment about my shabby car. It got me where I needed to go and was a beast in the snow. Not much to look at, but she did her job.

Tenley leaned back in her seat and sighed. For a second, I considered telling her that we didn’t have to go to the party. We could just keep driving. Go to Castleton and hit the bar. Or go back to her house and talk about books all night.

Instead, I clenched the steering wheel and kept driving to Tommy Webb’s house.

* * *

The party was in full swing when we got there, and I could tell Tenley was excited.

“I’m going to see if I can talk to Shane,” she said. “Maybe go get a drink or something. I’ll be right back.”

I could hear the desperation in her voice and it almost made me sad for her.

“Fine,” I said, heading for the table of booze. The same people were here as last time and a few said hello and tried to exchange small talk with me, which was fine. I scanned the room as I grabbed a hard seltzer that I planned on drinking slowly since I was driving.

Tenley was in a corner with Shane, leaning against the wall and laughing at something he was saying. Guess she didn’t even need me tonight. Shane was smiling down at her and it was obvious to anyone around them that they had chemistry. History.

Shane leaned down to say something in her ear and she blushed and leaned into him. I wondered where Cassie was. She also hadn’t been at the beach party last week.

“I can’t believe they’re not together anymore,” someone said beside me. It was Karissa, one of Tenley’s friends, and the one I disliked the least. She got points for having cool hair that was dyed half-blonde and half-brown, with split-color bangs that worked for her. She also seemed like kind of an outsider in the friend group. Like she didn’t exactly fit in, but she didn’t know where else to go. I could understand that.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, realizing that she was talking to Tenley’s “girlfriend.”

“It’s fine. I’m secure in my relationship,” I said. I was very secure in this fake relationship.

“That’s amazing. If I saw my girlfriend talking to her ex, I’d claw his eyes out,” she said, and I started liking her more.

“Girlfriend?” I asked. I’d thought this was a no-queer party.

“Girlfriend, boyfriend, theyfriend, partner, whatever. I’d be fighting,” she said, and I stared at her for a second. Karissa was rapidly gaining points here.

“They were together for a long time,” I said as Tenley jokingly punched Shane’s arm. He pulled out his phone and showed her something else that made her laugh.

“Anyway, I’d keep my eye on those two unless you want to date him too. I’m not judging,” she said.

“Mmm, definitely not,” I said. “He’s not my type.”

“Me neither. My taste in guys is the more frail they are, the more I want them. Like, if they look like they have a Victorian wasting disease and have been living in a garret? That does it for me.”

I burst into unexpected laughter. I couldn’t remember much about Karissa from high school, but she was funny as hell.

“Go get your girl,” she said, nodding at Shane and Tenley. “Rescue her from having to hear about his new paleo diet.” Karissa rolled her eyes.

“Thanks for the tip,” I said, reluctantly heading over to Tenley and Shane. My whole purpose in being here was to get them together like this, so it felt wrong to bust them up, but also, I wouldn’t be a good fake girlfriend if I let her flirt with him all night in front of everyone.