Only Gul is watching us with interest. Beside her, Grady glances our way before bumping her with his shoulder, distracting her. I’m relieved when she takes her focus off Kenneth and me and takes one of her boyfriend’s fries with a smile.
I lick my lips, turning back to Kenneth. “Why have you been avoiding my calls for over a week?”
My ex’s eyebrows rise in feigned surprise. “What are you talking about? I haven’t been avoiding you.”
“Uh huh.” I get out my phone and scroll through my call log. “Then what’s your excuse for sending my last ten calls to voicemail, and then not calling me back? Did Gordo even tell you I stopped by?”
Kenneth gives a head shake, scooting closer to me. “Look, I’ve been busy. Between my internship hours and classes, I don’t exactly have a lot of free time.”
Finally, Ricardo’s arm snakes over the back of my chair. Like he’s staking a claim to trump Kenneth’s. I don’t hate it. It’s a relief to know that, despite my behavior earlier, he’s still with me. It’s not something I want to analyze right this second, though.
Crossing my arms, I lean toward Kenneth so only he can hear me. “Are you sure it’s that, and not the fact that I saw the footage of you here on campus the night Professor Rook was killed? What were you doing here, anyway?”
Kenneth’s expression tightens, and he pushes to a stand. “I was here dropping off the final paperwork for my intern hours. I’d just gotten out of night class, and it had to be turned in before I started here. I knew I wouldn’t have time to come by the next day, because it was my last at the morgue. I called you to tip you off about Alan R... er, Professor Rook’s autopsy, remember?”
“Sure,” I say, watching him walk away. I don’t believe him. Kenneth is lying about why he was here that night, and I’m going to find out why.
22
I’m lying primly on my bed with my arms crossed over my chest, taking a break from studying. Staring up at the ceiling, I can’t stop thinking about the fight I picked with Ricardo in the eatery two days ago. He was supposed to leave me after that display, decide I was too high maintenance, but he hasn’t. He even defended me, in front of everyone. Threatened those who continued to gossip about my woefully black eyes. What I don’t understand is why. I’m not exactly the easiest person to get close to, and it’s not like there are other benefits to our arrangement, at least for him.
Still, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Between him, Genevieve, and Adrienne, I might actually be finding a group of friends who will stick around. Not like my bio dad, or Rhiannon. Or my mom and step-dad, for that matter. At one time or another, each of them has made me feel like I was too much—work, energy, consideration. Just too much.
Rhiannon’s leaving wasn’t entirely her own fault. I admit I played a role in her departure. But the rest?
My head lolls as I look out the window. The darkness outside is broken by the orange glow of the city lights bouncing off the clouds above. Shivering, I pull my faux fur blanket up to my chest. It’s a cold night. Too cold for snow.
“My eyes are going to fall out if I look at this tablet screen anymore,” Ricardo says from where he’s laying sprawled on his side on the floor, propped up on one elbow. Flopping onto his back, he stretches out his arms over his head. A groan escapes him as his muscles relax. His long, lanky body looks completely at home on my white, fluffy rug, almost like the cover of one of the romance novels my mom hides in her nightstand. All Ricardo needs is long, flowing blond hair and one less shirt.
I force myself to look away. Okay, so my fake boyfriend is not unattractive, but I can’t afford to lose sight of the objective. Make Kenneth jealous. That’s the reason I’m keeping up this farce. Not at all because I’ve started to care about Ricardo. That would be ludicrous. No, that’s not it at all.
He groans. “Your floor is so hard. Can I come up there with you?”
I recoil, sitting up. “No, you absolutely cannot. The last thing I need is your smelly cologne all over my blankets.”