Page 58 of Don't Be in Love

“No.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “This was a mistake. You live a very different life than mine, and even if you didn’t, I have a life that can’t exist with you in it.”

“You don’t mean that.” His grip loosened on my palm. “We can make this work.”

“Makewhatwork? This isn’t personal, but I don’t care to build any type of connection. I have no interest in building any type of relationship with anyone. So don’t waste your time because I’m not capable of loving you.”

His face fell.

I didn’t know why I was surprised, because that was my goal—to get him to back off.

But I didn’t realize how much it was going to puncture me in return.

For once in my life, I understood what it must’ve felt like for my father to have left my mother. And for my mother to have had to face it despite believing something else entirely.

19

Don’t Put on the Dress — Adelaide

“Mia, I’m not going.”

“But it’s Halloween!”

“I hate holidays!”

“But you have to come!”

“No, I don’t!” I raced away from her. We were running in circles around the fountain outside Buckingham Palace—our favorite place to sit and have breakfast before our shift on Saturdays.

I was surprised we hadn’t startled any guards yet. (We definitely spooked a few tourists.) Maybe we looked too idiotic to be worth the hassle of being dragged to the dungeon.

“Why not?” she whined, stopping.

I halted, turning around to face her from several feet away. “Because there’s only six weeks left of the semester and I have—”

She took several rushed steps forward. “No, no, no. What is itreally?”

“What do you mean?”

“Right there. That. You’re pulling at your earring. You’re hiding something.” She pointed at me with narrowed eyes.

I crossed my arms. “I am not that easy to read.”

“Did something happen last night before I got home? Yes! That’s it. Explain. Now.” She took a seat on the edge of the fountain, waiting.

Reluctantly, I joined her. The waterpingedbehind us as a child threw a coin in.

“Did you and Dorian get into a fight?”

“Possibly.”

“What was the fight about?”

I covered my face. “Boutuskissing.”

“Huh?” she leaned in.

“Itwasaboutuskissing.”

Her gum fell out of her mouth. “Youkissed!”