As good as I was at reading faces, I couldn’t get a read on Beau after that. He was deep in thought, maybe about Yale or his parents or maybe what I’d just said. Whatever it was, though, he didn’t say or sign anything.

OK? I signed shakily when this silence stretched on between us.

Beau didn’t respond. He kissed me instead.

The first feather-light brush of his lips against mine had every little thought or worry I had rapidly slipping out the back of my head. I wasn’t sure where this was coming from, especially right now, but Beau was kissing me, and it was hard to think about anything else.

I had my fingers laced in his hair and he had his arms around my waist and then suddenly he was jerking away from me, leaping to his feet and moving away.

I would’ve fallen flat on my face if I hadn’t thrown out an arm to grab at the bed to keep myself upright. I was about to ask Beau why he’d jumped away from me like he’d been electrocuted—when I was pretty sure neither of us wanted that kiss to end anytime soon—but the reason became obvious when I saw Nina standing in the doorway.

Her arms were crossed, and she had this bemused expression on her face as she looked back and forth between the two of us.

NOT MY FAULT, I signed to Beau, hopefully too quickly for Nina to understand. YOU START KISS, NOT ME.

Beau scrubbed his face with his hands, his shoulders slumping with one of his regular sighs. He must have been saying something to Nina because her amused smile was turning into a full-blown smirk. She looked like she was about to start laughing. She did the palms up gesture and said something like, “. . . your . . . business.”

“. . . want . . . ?” Beau started to say, then pointed downstairs.

I didn’t even think twice about signing, NO. NEED STUDY, I added when Beau’s face fell in disappointment. BUT I SEE YOU TOMORROW.

RIGHT, Beau signed with a nod. TOMORROW.

I kept my head down on my way out of the room, a little afraid to meet Nina’s gaze, because I knew an interrogation was waiting for me as soon as Nina got the chance.

Everyone was still assembled in the living room over drinks and food, so there weren’t many eyes on us as we came down the stairs. I only stopped to wave good-bye to Dana, who smiled back from where she stood in conversation with someone who looked like a colleague of Dr. Watson’s.

Beau put on shoes and a jacket and followed me outside to walk me to my car, though I was pretty certain it wasn’t for another kiss.

“Thanks . . . coming,” Beau said, pulling open the driver’s side door for me.