It didn’t help that the song that was currently playing was some sad ballad whose female vocalist was lamenting the loss of her love.
Willow’s fingers automatically found her messages, opening up the string of texts she and Ethan had exchanged earlier.
Candace suddenly appeared at her side, thrusting a red Solo cup at her.
Willow started, jerking her phone to her chest, and looked up at Candace.
“Brian told me to bring you this. It’s the punch you like.”
“Oh. Thank you,” Willow said, accepting it as she eyed the other girl cautiously. Had she looked at Willow’s phone? Even if she hadn’t, hiding it from view was pretty suspicious behavior.
But Candace didn’t give her any funny looks or even linger, she headed back into the kitchen.
Lowering her phone to her lap, Willow glanced at the messages, but the inky rush she got when she thought Candace caught her convinced her to put her phone away.
By the time Cliff, Candace and Brian came back into the living room, Willow had downed a few sips of the punch, but that batch was especially strong, so she decided to nurse it.
Pulling her phone back out, she texted her mom to tell her she was still at Brian’s so they shouldn’t wait up.
Candace plopped down in the floor in front of Willow’s seat and turned sideways so she could look at her while she ate her Hot Pocket. “So, who are you texting?”
Willow’s gaze snapped the other girl’s, but there seemed to be no guile in the question. “My parents. Just letting them know where I am.”
“I’m so tired,” Candace stated, dropping her pastry onto the foam plate, then lying back and balancing the plate on her flat stomach.
Cracking a smile at the drunk girl, Willow said, “Maybe you should sleep. Are you staying here tonight?”
“Yeah, I was gonna crash with Brian.”
“Oh.”
“Unless you’re staying?” she asked, turning her head to look at Willow.
“Uh… no, not planning on staying.” Brian walked in the room, so Willow sat her Solo cup down and stood, stepping over Candace and catching his arm. “Hey, can I steal you for a minute?”
“’Course,” he said, flashing her a little smile, but he made no move to leave the room.
“Privately?”
“Oh. Sure.”
Brian put his food and drink down on the table and warned everyone else away from it. Taking Willow by the hand, he led her up the stairs toward his bedroom.
As soon as they made it upstairs, he started touching her face, gazing down at her, and leaned in to kiss her.
“Oh, nope,” she said, turning so his open mouth connected with cheek. “Nope, sorry, I actually wanted to talk.”
“Oh.” He tugged her into his bedroom and took a seat on his bed, leaning back and supporting his weight on his elbows. “Am I in trouble?”
“Should you be?”
“I don’t think so. I told you I’m gonna get you a graduation gift this weekend.”
Willow glanced back at the hallway before closing his door. “Can I ask you something?” He watched her expectantly, so she continued, “Are you sleeping with Candace?”
First his eyes went wide, then he laughed. “What? No. Of course not. Why would you ask that?”
“I’m not mad, just don’t lie about it. She said she was staying with you tonight, and you never mentioned to me that you guys… share beds? I was just wondering.”