Page 14 of If the Stars Align

I shrug, even though he can’t see it. “Just stupid stuff. Nothing important. How was your drive home?”

“All thirty minutes of it?” he says with a chuckle. “It was fine. But…I really miss you. I can’t wait for you to come visit next month.”

“I miss you too,” I say as I open up my laptop and navigate to my email browser.

“I don’t know how I’m going to last twenty-eight whole days without you in my bed,” he tells me.

My eyes widen and a knot forms in my stomach. And in that moment, I realize I’m actually relieved to have a break from faking orgasms.

“Yeah…me too,” I say after a long exhale.

“So what are your plans for next week?” he asks.

“Um, I’m not sure yet. Probably just seeing old friends. Maybe hanging out with Dex.” I’m not sure if I’m being courteous, as my mom suggested—or if I’m sabotaging myself.

“Dex?” Chris asks with a note of surprise in his voice. “I thought you weren’t talking to him anymore.”

I swallow. “Well, we were both busy with school, and we stopped talking as much…but that doesn’t mean we’re not friends.”

I hope.

Chris scoffs. “Okay…”

“Okay,what?” I ask him with a bit more sass than I intended.That conversation with my mom really got to me.

“I don’t know, Sunny. You had pictures of that guy all over your dorm room?—”

“Oh my god, Chris, I had liketwopictures of us when we werekids?—”

“You definitely had more than two pictures of him. And one of them was from your high school graduation, and he had his arm around you, and…” Chris pauses. “He’s a good-looking guy, Sunny. I’m not an idiot?—”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Every time you talk about him, you blush. Admit it—you like him. I mean, how could you not?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Dex and I have never been more than just friends.”

Chris is silent for several seconds. “So, what…you’re just gonna spend your whole summer with him? Like old times?”

“Chris, you can’t tell me whom I can and can’t hang out with,” I say decisively.

“No. But Icanbreak up with you.”

There are tears streaming down my face now. I’m just not sure why. “Is that really what you want?”

“I guess Kim was right all along. You’re reallynotthat into me.”

I snort. “Oh—you mean Kim from down the hall who has amassivecrush on you?”

Kim with the silky straight hair guys can run their fingers through.

“She doesn’t have a crush on me,” he says unconvincingly. “But regardless, she’s right. I’mwaymore into you than you’reinto me. I can tell, Sunny. When we’re, like, messing around in bed, and stuff. I just feel like…your mind is somewhere else. Thinking about Dex, I guess.”

A stabbing pain pierces my chest.

Everything Chris is saying is true. I just figured I could keep those feelings buried in my subconscious. I had no idea my affection for Dex was that obvious.

I sniffle. “I don’t know what to say, Chris…I’m…I’m really sorry I made you feel that way.”