Starlee's Hope (The Wayward Sons 4)

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

Claire appears stunned. “Well, I don’t even understand. I mean, Jake adores you. Like, worships the ground you walk on.”

I take a bite of my sandwich. “Apparently not.”

“Okay, so back up and tell me everything that happened.”

I tell her, laying out the past few weeks if not longer. How he’s been distant and a little tense but it’s understandable with the test coming up. I explain how we spend more time hiking and studying than anything else.

“By anything else, you mean…” she prompts, eyebrow raised.

“You know, anything intimate.”

“Sex?”

I snort, trying not to reveal how devastated and embarrassed I am. “Sex is not even on the table.”

Her lunch is spread on the table in front her, untouched. “Come again?”

“You heard me. It’s not on the table—not that I haven’t tired or alluded or whatever.” I’m not so comfortable with myself that I’m going to throw myself at him. “Before the new year we’d done, you know, some stuff together. But since then? Nada.”

“So this is a bigger issue, because I am not buying that he’s not into you.”

“Maybe. Dexter told me to give him some room to get through the test and college stuff.” I look around. “That’s why I’m down here.”

She sighs and peels her banana. “Boys. They’re so dumb.”

“Right?”

My phone buzzes.

D: Where are you?

S: Art room w/Claire

D: Well, he made it. Looked like hell but he made it.

S: Good.

D: You want us to come down?

S: Nah, we’re good. Girl talk.

D: Gotcha. See you this afternoon?

S: Yep. Love you.

D: Love you, too.

I can’t help but smile as I put the phone down.

“Jake?”

“Oh hell no. That was Dexter.”

She pulls the tab off her yogurt and stirs it with a plastic spoon. There’s a smirk in her face when she says, “I bet that one’s not holding back.”