Page 113 of Tell No Lies

“Why didn’t he call me?”

He shrugged and got out silverware. It was concerning how well he knew our kitchen. I wondered if he spent even more time here before I moved in.

“Well, we can get started, I guess.” I picked up a plate and dished out pasta and chicken and passed it to Carter.

After we sat down at the island, I watched him, waiting to see his reaction.

He grimaced slightly when he slid a mushroom to the side of the plate. He took a tentative bite and chewed slowly for a few moments. Then his face lit up, and he smiled at me as he swallowed. “You’re amazing!”

I could feel the blush spreading across my face.

“I mean, your cooking. This is the best thing I’ve had in a long time.” He was already scooping another huge bite into his mouth. I laughed at his enthusiasm and tried to act normal.

The last time we’d been really alone like this was at his house, the night he cooked for me after my panic attack. Soon after that, he’d kissed me on the balcony, something we hadn’t really talked about since.

Now would be the best time to bring it up, since Brandon wouldn’t be home for a while. I took a few minutes to work up the courage as I moved food around my plate. I cleared my throat, and he met my eyes.

He removed his fork from his mouth slowly, as if he knew things were about to get serious.

“Can we talk?”

“You mean instead of eating?”

I stared down at my plate, suddenly enamored. “No, I mean, like, really talk.”

“I don’t understand.” He set down his fork and turned his body toward me.

“We just haven’t really talked in a while. Since …”

“Since we kissed?”

I froze. I wasn’t really expecting him to be so blunt.

“Aubrey, I was out of line that night. I never should have …”

“You regret it?” I had to interrupt him. I couldn’t hear him say that he never should have kissed me or that he didn’t mean it.

“Yes and no. I regret kissing my best friend’s little sister, but I don’t regret kissing you.”

I was silent, trying to decipher his words.

“Before your head explodes, let me finish. You’re seventeen. You’re in high school. You shouldn’t be with someone like me.”

I opened my mouth, but he held a finger up, asking me to stop.

“You should be going out with guys from school and hanging out with your girlfriends. Competition season is starting soon, and you need to focus on that. You can’t afford any distractions right now. You have a high GPA, and you need to maintain that and dance in order to get into your dream school.”

He talks to Brandon too much.

He broke eye contact and sighed. “So please, just focus on enjoying your life now. You never get this time back, and I would hate myself if I was selfish enough to try to take it away from you.”

My heart was breaking with each word. He cared. I stopped for a moment and realized what I was thinking. I sounded delusional, but he was basically saying he liked me.

“So, I’m just supposed to pretend that there are no feelings here?” I gestured between us.

“There can’t be anything, Aubrey. That’s what you need to understand. You’re seventeen, and I’m nineteen. It’s illegal.”

I sat back, stunned. “I’ll be eighteen in November …”