I stumbled back with a yelp. “Noelle! Shower, now.”

“You’re worse than my mom and Jasper combined,” she huffed, but for once did as I said, grabbing a few clothes and disappearing in the bathroom while I got dressed. When I joined her, Noelle was already doing her makeup and offered me a smile in the fogged-up mirror.

Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I asked, “Hey . . .

have you read the last update on The Chitter Chatter?”

“The one about me?”

“Yes.”

“I have,” she said with a shrug.

I rested my chin on her shoulder. “Does it not bother you?”

“Not really. The Watcher didn’t reveal your identity, so it’s all good. I’m used to them talking shit about me.” I didn’t reply, only watched as she applied highlighter to the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose. The sight made me think back to that night in my bed, her smile when she had done the same to me, her voice as soft as her touch as she murmured This is the best part.

“They’re wrong,” I said, my outburst sudden enough to make Noelle jump.

“Who’s wrong about what?”

“The Watcher. You’re not a slut. And you’re not incapable of loving others,” I said. “You love so much. I don’t understand how they can’t see it.”

Noelle was silent for a moment. Then, with a quiet sigh, she put down her brush and met my eyes in the mirror again.

“Evelyn . . . I know it’s not true. You know it’s not true. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

I was silent for a moment before I put my hands on her waist, urging her to turn around. “I’ve been thinking. I don’t want to hide this anymore, Elle.”

Her eyes widened a little as understanding washed over her face. “Are you sure? You don’t have to feel this way just because you’re scared of what The Watcher might know. Outing someone is too far, even for them.”

“I’m sure,” I said. “This isn’t some kind of dirty little secret that no one must ever know about. It was stupid of me to treat it like that in the first place.”

“But you had your reasons,” she murmured. “There’s no shame in being in the closet if it’s for your own well-being.

There’s no shame in being in the closet, period.”

“I know,” I said. “But I can’t let what happened in the past hold me back forever, right? That would mean they won. And in doing this we’re taking the power away from The Watcher. We’re doing it on our own terms.” I paused, suddenly unsure. “Unless you don’t want anyone to know?”

“Bul shit,” Noelle immediately said. “Of course I want that.

Not being able to kiss you whenever I want sucks.”

“So we’re doing this?” I asked, my heart leaping at the thought.

“Of course we’re fucking doing this.”

My chuckle got lost in her mouth when her lips captured mine, soft and reassuring. She pulled back for a heartbeat to whisper, “I’m proud of you,” and somehow those four words were enough to loosen the knot in my chest for good.