Page 90 of Movers and Fakers

I’m cut off again, this time by her fingertips on my mouth.

“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to hit you more than in this moment,” she says, and my eyes widen. “I know you’re terrible at Digital Logic, but I thought the regular kind wasn’t lost on you.”

She moves her hand from my lips to grab my chin, staring me in the eyes.

“It will take a lot more than one difficult family dinner to lose me, Hayes. So quit spiraling on your own, because we’re a team now. I’m in your corner. Got it?”

My lips part. The only thing I can think of is: I love you.

I almost say it, but this would be the least romantic timing, and she deserves better than that. Especially after the speech she just gave me.

So instead, I smirk.

“Have I ever told you how pretty you are when you’re angry?”

Chapter forty-five

Beneath The Surface

Aurora Driscoll

I’m much warmer than I thought I’d be when I left the hotel in this dress. The thin, silky material isn’t conducive to battling the cold. But there are heaters placed around the rooftop that keep it toasty. Between those and Hayes’s hand splayed across my bare lower back, I’m almost too warm.

We follow the host through the maze of tables. Hayes nods to a few different people, and it occurs to me that his name carries weight much farther than our campus. I set my gaze on the city skyline, focusing on the twinkling lights and breathtaking architecture instead of who we’re headed to meet.

“It’s beautiful up here,” I say quietly to Hayes, who smiles at me and runs his fingertips up my spine.

“I knew you’d think so. I wish this could have been just us.”

His smile is a little tighter than usual, but I can tell he’s feeling better after our conversation in the car.

“Next time,” I whisper as we stop at a table nestled in the corner of the rooftop.

It boasts the best view, one I could look out over all night, but I force myself to meet the eyes of Hayes’s parents. They both stand upon our arrival. His mom wears a warm smile and wraps him up in an affectionate hug.

“My sweet boy! I’ve missed you.” She squeezes his face in her palms, and I press my lips together to hold in a laugh.

His dad grips one of Hayes’s shoulders and gives a nod.

“Son.”

That’s all. Nothing else.

“It’s good to see you both,” Hayes says, then steps back to wrap an arm around my waist. “Mom, Dad, this is Aurora, my girlfriend.”

He smiles down at me, and I smile back to reassure him.

“Renee Rosewood,” his mom says with a bright smile. Her strawberry-blonde hair glints in the candlelight, as do the diamonds around her neck. “It’s so wonderful to meet you. We’ve been hoping Hayes would settle down for years now.”

She makes it sound like Hayes is in his thirties, when he’s only twenty. Regardless, I return her smile and dip my chin.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And this is my husband, Truett.”

I give another nod, feeling like I should curtsy or bow under the man’s piercing gaze. His hair is a soft-brown color, and it makes me wonder where Hayes gets his auburn locks from. He has a strong jaw, which seems to be perpetually clenched.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, young lady,” he intones.