His eyes darken before he glances away. “I don’t like the idea of lying to your mother.”
What difference does it make? At the moment, we’re hiding the truth from everyone. Both friends and family.
“If you want, I’ll tell her what’s going on.” Under normal circumstances, I tell my mother everything. We’ve always been close. “I don’t have a problem doing that.” Honestly, it would be a relief to finally share the news with someone. Keeping all of this to myself makes me feel like I’m going to explode.
He sucks his lower lip between his teeth and chews it thoughtfully. Before he has a chance to respond, Brayden and Sydney appear out of nowhere. At least, that’s the way it feels. Maybe we were just too involved in our conversation to notice their approach. Carson takes a quick step in retreat to put an appropriate amount of distance between us.
“Hey. Everyone’s over there.” My brother nods toward a table full of rowdy football players on the other side of the union.
Carson shakes his head as he continues backing away. “Sorry, I have to take off.”
“What?” Brayden frowns. “I thought we were grabbing lunch today.” There’s a pause. “For fuck’s sake, wasn’t it your idea?”
“Yeah, I know, but something just came up. I’ll catch you later at practice,” he says with a wave.
And then he’s gone, disappearing through the crowd.
My brother stares after him with a frown before turning back to me. “Anyone else notice that he’s been acting weird lately? I seriously don’t know what’s going on with him.”
That’s one question I won’t be touching with a ten-foot pole.
Instead of lying, I shrug. My gaze flickers from Brayden to Sydney, who raises a brow. The knowing look in her eyes has heat creeping into my cheeks as I glance away.
If Sydney has figured out our secret, it’s only a matter of time before my brother catches on as well.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Carson
I crest the second floor of the library and glance around for Elle. I know she was planning on being here for a while, and I told her I’d stop by after practice. It only takes a few seconds to catch sight of her and Mike studying at a table off to the side. Her long, dark hair covers her face like a shiny curtain as she bends over a book. Mike has his laptop open and is typing away across from her.
After not seeing her all day, I’m starving for the sight of her. “Hey.”
Both of their heads whip up as a smile breaks out across her face. For just a second, everything swirling through my brain leaks out of my ears, and I’m dazzled by the sheer brilliance of her. It’s like having the warmth of the sun beating down on me.
Which is—trust me, I know—corny as fuck.
But that doesn’t make it any less true. I’ve spent so many years denying what I felt that, for a while, I almost started to believe it. This is all it takes to make me realize how futile the struggle was.
I clear my throat along with those thoughts. “Getting any work done?”
“Yup. We’ve been camped out here for a couple of hours and I’ve already plowed my way through my stats homework along with a few other subjects.”
I nod and glance at Mike as I shift my weight. I’m dying to yank her into my arms and kiss the hell right out of her. It takes every ounce of self-restraint to resist the urge to do exactly that.
A knowing glint enters her eyes as she tips her head toward her friend. “The secret is out. He knows.”
I raise my brows. “Is that so?” We’re supposed to be keeping this on the downlow for the time being. The last thing I want is for Brayden to catch wind of our relationship. When the time comes, he needs to hear it from me.
“You two are adorable together. I couldn’t be happier.” There’s a pause as Mike corrects himself. “Well, if you had a brother…then I’d be happier.”
Huh?
Elle snorts out a laugh. “We’ve already discussed this. Carson is an only child.”
When Mike opens his mouth, she cuts him off. “And his cousins live out of state.”
He cocks his head. “What about distant ones?”
She rolls her eyes as her shoulders shake. “You need to give up the dream.”
I have no idea what they’re talking about, but if the cat is already out of the bag, then there isn’t a reason for me to resist a quick kiss. I glance around before closing the distance between us and brushing my lips across hers. Even though it’s not nearly enough to feed the intense need I have for her, a feeling of calm settles over me. I’ve waited all damn day for this.
“Yup.” Mike sighs. “Totally adorable.”
Elle’s lips curve into a smile as she chuckles.