Bitter Sweet Heart
THE SECRETS WE KEEP
Maverick
Maverick
Okay to come to you?
Yes. Come around the back, I’ll let you in.
Maverick
Kay. Leaving in a few. I’ll text when I’m at yours.
Be careful. Can’t wait.
I pull on a hoodie and grab my freshest pair of running shoes before I peek my head into the hallway. River’s door is closed and the hall light leading to Lavender’s room has been dimmed. It looks like the coast is clear.
I carefully pull my door closed behind me and tiptoe past River’s room, in case he’s home.
It isn’t until I reach the bottom of the stairs that I realize I’m wrong about being in the clear.
I also run right into Kody as I enter the kitchen.
He’s carrying two plates, a container of cereal marshmallows and two bottles of water.
We both startle and he loses his hold on one bottle.
I catch it before it can hit the floor.
“I didn’t even hear you coming down the stairs.” Kody’s ears go red and his cheeks pink.
I’m still getting used to the fact that he sleeps in the same bed as my sister on the regular and so is he. But I’m glad they finally figured their shit out. Theirs is the kind of love everyone wants. Including me. “Sorry about that.” I pass the bottle back.
His gaze shifts to the running shoes in my hand. “You going for a run now?”
It’s only eight, but it’s dark, and the temperatures drop as soon as the sun goes down these days.
“Uh, yeah. I just need to burn off some energy so I can focus on an assignment.” Do I have an assignment that needs my attention? Absolutely. But I have no intention of tackling it tonight. My plan was to sneak out undetected and sneak back in while everyone was still asleep.
I don’t love the clandestine situation I’m in and lying to my best friend sucks. But I don’t know if or what this will become when the semester ends and I’m not willing to put her at risk just to alleviate my guilty conscious.
“Right. Okay.” Kody narrows his eyes like he’s not sure he believes me. “Careful, it’s slick out there.”
“Will do. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He disappears up the stairs and I heave a sigh of relief, pushing the unease down as I slide my feet into my running shoes.
And then I’m out the door and heading down the street.
A few minutes later, I’m tucked into the shadows, checking to make sure there’s no one around to see me skulking in the bushes.
I stick to the shadows as I walk down the narrow path to her back deck.
I message when I’m at the sliding door, so I don’t scare the shit out of her like I did my best friend.
When she appears at the back door, all that guilt fades away. She’s worth whatever secrets I have to keep to have this with her.