“Miles,” Jesse starts, out of breath, “I need you to move the— Oh, hey, Simone. I thought you were in the choir room with Palumbo.”

The thing about Jesse is that it’s impossible to be mad at him. I’ve never heard him talk shit about anyone, which seems unrealistic, because everyone talks shit at some point. If he were anyone else, I could snap at him so he would go away. Instead, I pull my hand from Miles’s, ignoring the look he gives me.

“Yeah, we were just…” My voice trails off as I stick my hands in my pockets. What were we doing? Talking?

Miles turns to Jesse. “Do you need the apartment set moved again?”

“Yeah.” Jesse nods. “You’re the only one who can do it.”

The two of them walk toward the curtain, and I lean against the wall. I can’t even touch Miles’s little speech. What can I say to him in response to that? I like your ass? He can’t be all sweet and mushy while I just think about kissing him the whole time.

I take a deep breath, gathering courage, and run after them.

Miles turns at the last second. “Simone? What—”

I grab at his shirt. I’m hoping for a special kiss, one where he leans down and music swells in the background. Since this isn’t a movie, he doesn’t lower his head, and I end up with my face buried in his shirt.

“I was trying to”—I gesture vaguely with my other hand— “you know. Uh, have a moment.”

Miles ducks his head. For a second, it looks like he’s pissed, but then I see his shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

“Don’t laugh.” I let go of his shirt, taking a step back. “I’m not sure how to do this.”

“Don’t feel bad about it.” His face softens. “We could hang out later, if you want. And have a real moment.”

That could mean a million things—my brain keeps jumping to sex, and that thought triggers the note, and my stomach plunges—but I force the thoughts away.

“I wish I could, but I can’t,” I say, rocking back on my heels. “I have to do something with my friends. We’re gonna—well, we have to go do something. I swear that I’m not making it up.”

No matter how cool Miles seems, I’m definitely not telling him that I’m spending my Saturday afternoon in a sex-toy store with my friends. It might freak him out. But honestly, I could use the space to figure out what the hell I’m going to do about this stupid note situation.

“Miles?” Jesse calls.

“I guess I believe you.” Miles turns toward the sound of Jesse’s voice. “Next time?”

I smile. I can’t help it. “Definitely.”

CHAPTER 8