Someone give me the strength not to hurt this man.
“How did you even get in?”
“Want to tell me why you lied to me earlier?” he deflects.
I give him a look I can only describe as an “Are you for real?” look. When he realizes I’m not going to entertain him, he runs his finger across my desk and inspects the tip for dust.
“I saw you. You just left, Kendrick—”
“Kendrick thinks I left,” he corrects, scanning the rest of my room carefully before nodding like he’s made up his mind. “Your room is so clean it scares me.”
“Will! Answers,” I urge.
“Do you even sleep here? Is this an IKEA commercial and nobody told me?”
I can’t tell if it’s because I’m deliriously exhausted or because I actually find his dodging of my questions amusing, but I find myself smiling. Trying to understand what he’s doing in my room is pointless. That’s Will. My guess is he left for show and sneaked back into the house after my brother dashed down the street.
Lacking the necessary energy to fight him, I switch off the lights, crawl into bed, and pull up Netflix. I always fall asleep watching something, whether it be a show or movie. Been doing it for as long as I can remember.
Next thing I know, Will’s lying right next to me. Faking carelessness, I flip to the opposite side. The room is dark, its only source of light the lamp in the hall, which peeks under my closed bedroom door. I forgot to turn it off. Got busy squeezing a concussion in my schedule instead.
“What are we watching?” His breath fans my cheek.
My body tenses.
When the hell did he get this close?
He’s right behind me, hard chest pressed to my back. We’re not spooning exactly, but a few more inches and we would be.
“Are you ignoring me?” he says in a husky voice.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re here?” I say, sounding a bit strangled.
“Sure. If you tell me what’s wrong.”
This again.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Spare me the bullshit. The look on your face when you came into the house already betrayed you.”
While part of me is annoyed by his persistence, the other is… glad? I’m strangely happy that he noticed my pain. When I don’t reply, Will distances himself from me—to my unexpected disappointment—retreating to his side. I roll over to face him. He braces his head on his elbow, the hall’s gleam highlighting his cut jaw and chiseled features.
Good God, he’s hot even in the dark.
He speaks first. “Is it Zoey? Do I need to kick her ass?”
“Let’s say it was—what are you going to do? Punch a girl?”
“Fine. Then I’ll ruin her day. Break her heel or something.”
I chortle. “Is this really what you think ruins a girl’s day?”
“Hers? Yeah.”
“Shallow much?”
“I’m sorry, have you met the girl? A puddle looks deep next to her.”
I hate how easily he’s got me to laugh. I’m about to answer when a knock on my bedroom door launches my pulse to space.
“Kass, honey, are you still up?”
We both freeze.
My mom’s home.
It’s fine. Just pretend you’re sleeping.
“Sweetie, I heard you laughing. I know you’re up. Tell Morgan you’ll call her back tomorrow. It’s late. Can I have a hug good night?”
“Just a second,” I holler, staring at the annoyingly attractive problem next to me. Hide, my eyes scream. He does just that, opting for the world’s most original hiding spot: the gap under my bed.
“Come in.”
My mom obliges, twisting the knob and opening her arms for me. The hug good night is no biggie. It’s the conversation she gets into next that makes me wish I was deaf.
“So…” She sits on the edge of my bed. “I don’t mean to pry, but I overheard you talking on the phone with Morgan earlier today. You said something about a date tomorrow. With a boy named Luke, is it?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s just… You’ve never really had a boyfriend before, and I want to make sure you’ll be…” She hesitates. “Safe when the time comes.”
No way this is happening.
“Mom, I really don’t need you to give me the tal—”
“But I do. I need to give it to you. As a mom. Let me do this, please.”
No, no. Please don’t go there, my eyes plead. Not now.
“Sometimes, men are selfish, and I just… want you to stand your ground. It doesn’t matter if they say it doesn’t feel good with a condom, you stay safe, no matter what. It’s easy to let your partner convince you. It’s important that you find a man who gives you just as much pleasure as you give him. A selfish man in bed will be a selfish partner in life. Okay?”
Honest to god, someone knock me out.
“Got it. Thanks.”
It takes me a whole five minutes to get her to leave. As soon as the door shuts and her footsteps die down the hall, Will bursts out laughing.
Thanks, Mom.
“Shut up.” I drop onto my bed with a groan. Will slides out from under my mattress and plops down next to me, trying so hard to muffle his laughter he’s nearly suffocating. “Keep laughing, and I’ll out you to my mom myself.”
He ignores me, his contagious laughter chipping away at my anger until I find humor where I first found embarrassment.
“Damn it. What’s with the most humiliating moments of my life all happening in the two minutes you’ve been here?” I nuzzle my face between my hands.
“Please,” he scoffs. “The fall doesn’t even come close to this.”
I remove my hands from my face with a laugh.
“I hate you,” I tell him.
My mouth said one thing.
My smile said another.
He stops laughing, flicks his head sideways, and searches my eyes for a lie. One I’m not quick enough to hide. Long seconds pass before he smiles and says,
“No, you don’t.”
And the worst part is, he’s right.
I don’t.
“Don’t be mad at her. She’s a good mom.” He rips his eyes away, letting the tension taper off. His voice is a bit strained from laughing too hard. “Everything she said is true. I hope you’ll follow her advice.”
Is he trying to tell me something?
“With Luke, I mean.”
Oh.
“You guys are still on for tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yep.” I draw a sigh. “Although I’ve been trying to think of an excuse to bail.”
“Come on, don’t do the poor dude like that. Just give him a chance. I’m sure he’s the kind of guy to…” He takes on a high-pitched voice, impersonating my mother. “Give a woman as much pleasure as she gives him.”
I swat him in the arm.
Again, thanks, Mom.
“Yeah, well, he would be the first,” I mutter to myself, only realizing what I’ve just said when Will’s face falls.
“Wait…” His eyes grow. “Have you never…”
Why on earth did I have to say that?
“Like never? Not even by yourself? You’ve never c—”