means you didn’t trust she could handle it herself.” His gaze remained steady. “What’s done is done, but Livi needs to hear it from you… and so do your folks. Got me?” He stared at me long and hard, and just as I nodded, Alivia came bouncing over.
One look at her father and me had her barking, “What?”
“Nothing but the usual,” I was quick to say with a wide smile.
Trey nodded. “Just asking your boyfriend to at least pretend you’re not rushing home to have…” He grimaced and waved a hand. “I can’t even say it out loud. Just go, or I’ll stop pretending I’m okay with this.”
“Okay. Whatever.” She eyed us suspiciously before planting a kiss on his cheek. “Bye, Dad.”
“Bye, baby girl.” With one more poignant look my way, he added, “You two be careful.” He walked off, leaving behind words that hounded me.
Since we’d graduated, my little stunt with Jett and Molly had popped into my head now and again. Every text Alivia received from Kim, claiming she had gossip, had me nervous that my secret was out. The closer we got to everyone leaving for their respected colleges, the more I worried shit was about to hit the fan.
Still, I had to wonder why I’d never come clean to Alivia. Shit, who was I kidding… I knew the reason. Why bother upsetting her if my plan worked? But now that Trey knew, I had no choice. I needed to tell her… and soon.
Besides that, nothing kept Jett from dumping her any day now, and that created a proverbial time clock counting down in my head. The last time I’d spoken to him was weeks ago. Maybe I hoped all the happy pictures of Molly and Jett together were real and with some sheer stroke of luck I’d actually done them a favor.
The telltale sign that we were both consumed with our own thoughts came when the drive home went by mostly in silence. I had to assume her pensive mood had to do with my rehearsals beginning the next day, and she probably thought the same of me.
It felt like an eternity by the time we pulled up to my building. By then, the speech I’d prepared along the ride had grown roots and implanted itself in every fiber of my being.
“Are you nervous?” she asked when I handed the car keys to my building’s valet.
“A little.” Terrified, but not for the reason she assumed.
“You’re going to be amazing, Shane. Really.” With a nod, I retrieved our bags from the back seat, and she wrapped her arm around my bent elbow as we walked into the lobby.
I listened to her adorable pep talk, nodding and smiling when I needed to. But by the time I unlocked the door and we stepped through, I couldn’t take the pressure and had to get it all off my chest. “Babe, I need to talk to you.”
Her gorgeous blue eyes widened a bit. “Okay.”
The bags landed with a thump before I took her hand and led her through the empty apartment straight to our rooftop terrace. Why I chose to come clean in a place that my girlfriend loved was beyond me. Maybe I hoped that would lessen how angry she’d be.
Once we sat facing each other at one of the bar top tables right outside the patio doors, I cut right to the chase. “I kind of did a thing.”
“What thing?”
“Well…” Her eyes narrowed when I went no further. The hot, stuffy New York air wasn’t responsible for sweat beading on the back of my neck. And now that I’d brought this up, I had to follow through. “Jett and Molly are together because of me.”
Her face fell. “What are you talking about?”
I started by explaining the idea I’d had for a scholarship program, sugarcoating it like an idiot. But my attempts failed when the more I spoke the angrier she became. By the time I relayed the conversation I’d had with her father that morning, Alivia sprang out of her chair and began pacing.
“I can’t believe you did that,” she snapped. I didn’t bother responding… it wouldn’t help. Whenever I pissed her off, our arguments always escalated because I never knew how to keep my mouth shut. This time, I merely sat and took what she needed to unleash. I listened to every reason she rattled off, waiting for her to get it all out. “Why not just tell Molly off, Shane? Or here’s a better idea… why