Page 20 of Lessons in Chemistry

“You can count it if you want.”

“It’s fine. I trust you.” I stand.

“Aren’t you going to stay and finish your drink? Drinks,” he corrects. “I got you a fresh one.”

I sink into my chair. It would be rude not to stay, even though I want to run far away from him so I can scrub my brain out.

“We can chat about your problem,” Auggie says.

“My problem?”

“Yes. Your unrequited love for Casey. Have you told him you’re in love with him yet?”

“No, and I’m not going to.”

“Why not?”

Because I couldn’t take the inevitable rejection. “I don’t want to make things weird between us. Anyway, he told me he’s not interested in dating.”

“Oh, so you guys do talk about this kind of stuff after all.”

“He mentioned it last night when we were talking about—” I slap my hands over my mouth.

Auggie waggles his eyebrows. “Has someone else caught your fancy? Me, for instance?”

“You are so full of yourself,” I mutter.

“You could be full of me too.”

I choke, cough, and splutter all at the same time. Auggie stands and pats my back, which doesn’t make anything better. I sip my iced coffee until I’ve recovered.

“I’m sorry.” Auggie doesn’t sound the least bit sincere. He sits. “All joking aside, you should tell Casey how you feel.”

“Why do you care?”

He widens his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just—” I adjust my glasses, unsure what to say.

“I’ll forgive you this once. I know it’s because you’re like a lovesick puppy for Casey. Tell him.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“I’d know if he likes me in that way.”

Auggie stares at me. “You say that, but do you think he’s realised you’re in love with him?”

I shake my head.

He thatches his fingers together, looking every bit like a supervillain. “Exactly. You need to find out whether he likes you or not. And if you’re not prepared to ask him, you need a more devious method.”

I frown. “Such as?”

“Pretending to be into someone else. Someone roguishly handsome. Like me.”

I gape.