Page 109 of Not Until Her

Kara is still standing, and I can tell she’s in flight mode. When we make eye contact, I shake my head subtly. I don’t want her to leave yet, and I doubt sitting here for a couple minutes is going to expose anything we don’t want exposed yet.

Not that we’ve had that conversation, but I feel like we’re on the same page.

“This is my best friend, Vic. And that’s little Angeline.”

She nods slowly.

“Nice to meet you.”

“What was your name?” Vic asks.

“It’s Karissa,” she says, taking me by surprise.

I don’t think, I just react.

“What the hell? That’s your name?”

Before Vic looks up in confusion, I catch the roll of Kara’s eyes. The sight of it makes me want to wrap her in a hug and plant kisses all over her face. I’m so attached to that attitude.

“You don’t know her name?”

“She calls me by a nickname,” she says quickly. For the best, so I don’t blurt anything else out.

But I’m dying to know if she’s lying because she’s worried about Vic knowing who she is, or if I’ve gone the last couple months without knowing her actual name. Both answers irritate me for reasons I can’t explain.

“Reya does like her nicknames. She’s been trying for over a year to convince a friend of ours to call her Rey. As if her name isn’t short enough already.”

“I don’t have to try anymore, he’s leaned into it,” I tell her. “I think he secretly likes that he’s the only one that gets to call me that.”

Vic laughs.

“Yeah, I’m sure Miles feels really special.”

Kara tenses at the mention of his name, and Vic clocks it. She looks between us.

“What’s your nickname?” she asks Kara.

I swear she’s sweating, she’s so nervous.

“Uh—“

“Babe, can you give us one minute? Sorry, be right back.”

I ignore both of their shocked, uneasy expressions and yank Kara into her apartment. I accidentally slam the door behind us and wince.

“What are you doing?”

“We didn’t get to go over what to do in a situation like this! You don’t have to tell her your name, I can change the subject when we go back out there.”

“Would she know about me? Past me?”

“She would. Our little friend group? We’re talkers. All of us know everything about everything.”

“Who’s to say—“

There’s a knock on the door right behind us. Before I even open it, I hear Vic’s voice.

“If it’ll save you some time, I know exactly who you are.”