“If we have a night of crazy passion in a hotel room in Indianapolis,” I say, morose.

Nick exhales, short and frustrated. “I wouldn’t be done with you in one night, Chloe. That’s the entire problem.”

I swallow hard and make a noise that sounds like someone smashed a bunch of keys on a keyboard.

“Get some sleep,” Nick says. There’s a rustle of sheets, then the sensation of his fingers on my cheek. It’s so sudden and unexpected that I jump, but then I arch toward his hand, so desperate for anything he’ll give me right now. His hands, the ones that make coffee and install tile in my kitchen and grabbed me with such powerful desire on that rainy night I can’t stop thinking about, those hands belong on me and I know it, which makes it almost unbearable when he pulls his hand back.

But the other thing I know: he’s right when he says this would be a bad idea. I know Annie thinks this is the beginning of a rom-com, just a woman who claims to have “no time for a relationship!” when she’s really waiting to be swept off her feet. But I don’t even think I have the ability to be swept off my feet, and if I did, who would catch me when I fell? Who would take care of Dad if I was devoting my time and energy to taking care of someone else? What if I abandoned everything, my school and my dreams and my family? And what if—when—it all goes bust? The romantic comedies don’t show that, but I know what happens in real-life relationships. Love fades, and lust fades even faster. Nick might find me charming at the moment, but if he was around for even one of my Five-Minute Cries, that would change.

So Nick’s right. I guess we’re destined to have these secret moments in the dark, getting to know each other with our faces in shadow, always stopping before things get too far. That’s never gonna be in a movie, but it’s the depressing reality of my real life.

“Good night, Chloe,” Nick says.

I exhale shakily. “Good night,” I whisper, so softly I’m not even sure he hears me. I don’t move, staring at the ceiling and feeling horny and sad at the same time (the worst combination of feelings). It’s only when I hear Nick’s breath slow down, minutes or hours later, that I finally let myself drift off to sleep.

Chapter Fourteen

I wake up feeling warm and cocooned. I keep my eyes closed for a few minutes, letting my brain run through everything I have to do today while my body relaxes. I have reading to do for class, and there’s at least one pie I want to get to, and do I have to work? I should probably get out of bed, throw on my silky bathrobe that’s covered in bright flowers, shove my feet into my kitschy bunny slippers, and stumble into my kitchen . . .