Page 75 of Something Forever
Whitney turns to me, her eyes alight and her hand covering her mouth. “Your dad is a riot,” she says.
I shake my head. “He’s a bit insane,” I warn her.
She laughs. “I love it. How are you two total opposites?”
“Excuse me? I’m not funny? I seem to remember you holding your side in pain on Tuesday when I did my Love Island impressions.”
“That’s because you are way too good at them.” She eyes the teacups in curiosity. “What kind of tea are you making?”
“The only kind my dad approves of. English breakfast with milk and sugar. You want some?”
She shrugs. “I’ve never tried it.” She steps closer to me, lowering her voice to a whisper. “How are we supposed to act?”
I stare down at her. “Like we’re married, Whitney.”
“Yeah, but like… touchy?”
My eyebrows furrow. A week ago, she was begging for me to fuck her. Now she won’t even touch me? What the hell did I do wrong?
“Is that a problem?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Of course not. It’s fine.”
I chuckle, sliding her tea over to her. “I’m a lot better at this than you are.”
Her mouth drops. “You are not.”
I smirk, bringing my cup up to my lips. “I absolutely am.”
“No way.” She raises her eyebrows. “I wanted to be an actress when I was a kid.”
“Well it’s a good thing you didn’t go pro because you are terrible at pretending.”
“I did it at the gala.”
“Yeah, and I had to drag you out of there.”
Silence settles between us as we tiptoe closer to the unspoken thread that connects us: that night. Luckily, my dad comes back into the room at that moment. He’s wearing a black t-shirt now, thank God. I’m about to slide his teacup over to him when I feel Whitney’s arms wrapping around my torso and her lips pressed against my jawline.
I freeze.
She meets my gaze, her eyes alight with a challenge.
I’ll show you acting, it says.
My lips tug into a half-smile at the realization. I didn’t intend for my comment to be a challenge, but if it means I get to feel her hands on me, I’d call it a win. I slide my hands to her hips, holding her lightly. I brush my hand up to her face, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
She swallows.
“Aren’t you two a pair?” My dad chimes in.
Both our heads snap up to him, as if we’d forgotten he was there. The whole reason we’re wrapped up in each other.
“How did you two meet?” he asks.
I step back from Whitney and give my dad his tea. My eyes lock with hers again, a question between us. We really should have rehearsed this.
“My old roommate Olivia left suddenly, so Liam filled her spot. At first, I was worried about living with a guy, but he charmed his way into my life,” Whitney answers.