Chapter 4: The Date

I asked him on Thursday, after the lecture, in the empty hall with the lights half off.

"Professor Ames, I need a favor."

"Is this a message?" Geoffrey said, packing his card into his bag.

"It's a conversation."

"Rule one."

"We're talking in a room. Nothing is between us."

He looked at the four feet of carpet between us, then at me.

"Go on."

"Brandon thinks I'm still his. He thinks I'm stuck on him and everything I do is an act."

"And?"

"And I need him to see it with his own eyes. One night, one bar, you and me at a table."

Geoffrey didn't blink.

"You want me to pretend to be your date."

"For Brandon's benefit only. When he's gone, we stop."

"I'm his cousin."

"That's why it works."

He zipped the bag.

"Saturday," he said. "Eight o'clock. I don't dance."

"Nobody asked you to dance."

"Good."

On Saturday I wore the green dress Maddie said made me look like trouble.

Geoffrey met me outside The Gull, the bar everyone at Ridgemont ended up at eventually, in a dark jacket and no tie.

He looked at the dress for a moment, and then he looked at the door.

"Ready?"

"Do I look like I'm over him?"

"You look like you're over everyone."

He opened the door and set his hand at the small of my back.

It was a light touch, just the heel of his palm through the thin fabric, and the heat of it went straight up my spine.

Rule one, I thought, and then I remembered the lectures were Tuesday and Thursday.

It was Saturday.

We took a table in the middle, where anyone could see us.

I knew the second Brandon walked in, because the room changed temperature.

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