The Relationship Pact(26)

“You do realize that you’re going to end up murdered in your sleep one of these days.” I take the dress off the hanger. “You need a hotel room that you can use to meet up with guys in or something.”

“I have a security system. If I get murdered, find the footage in the cloud and nail that sucker to the wall.”

I laugh. “I’m glad you’ve planned ahead.”

“You know me. I’m always planning.” She laughs too. “So back to … what’s his name again?”

“Hollis.”

The name ripples off my tongue.

“That really is a great name,” Bellamy says. “And it matches him. You know, it’s really weird when people don’t match their names. Like when you meet a beast of a man, and his name is Clyde. But then you might walk into the library and spot a geek sitting by the history section, and his name is something like Mauricio. So sexy.”

I put Bellamy on speakerphone long enough to tug the dress over me. I smooth the lines out around my hips and then adjust the wrap to cinch my waist and enhance my boobs.

“Not bad,” I mutter, checking myself out again.

“Where are you going with Hollis?”

I pick up the phone and take her off speakerphone. “I actually don’t know. It’s a dinner he was invited to, and they asked him to bring his family. He’s in town alone and doesn’t know anyone but me. So I’m going with him.”

“That’s convenient. Lucky you. And you might get luckier if you don’t get all weird about it and start ruling things out before they can become options.”

“That’s already been taken care of,” I say, running my fingers through my hair. “We’re going to the dinner and Jack’s thing from a baseline of friends. It doesn’t matter as much tonight for his thing, but Mom has to think I’m taken so she stops trying to match me with random men. We just need to sell it so that Mom thinks I’m forming a friendship with Hollis to see if more is there post-graduation since he doesn’t live here.” I shrug and drop my hand. “So we’re friends. It’s completely platonic.”

She snorts. “Yeah. That’s gonna work.”

“What?”

“You really believe that you’re going to spend two evenings with Hollis and manage not to touch him. Or be begging for him to touch you? Come on, Riss.”

I swipe my lip gloss off the dresser with a little more force than necessary. “Yes, Bellamy. I do.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t okay me like that,” I say, coating my lips with another layer of gloss. “Just because this mutually-beneficial situation makes it seem like I’m getting all willy-nilly with my take on dating last night, I’m not. Two platonic nights with Hollis will keep my eyes focused on him. There will be no looking at all the delicious athletic man specimens tomorrow night. I’m still anti-athlete. I will be for eternity.”

“I love how you always just go all-in. It’s eternity or bust!”

I laugh. “It’s called commitment, and I’m not the one who has a problem with that.”

“Ouch,” Bellamy says, knowing I’m talking about her and her refusal to even date a man seriously. “So what does Hollis do? What’s his deal?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know much about him, really. He was a good-looking single man standing by a bar when I needed him. I don’t know much else.”

“And I’m the one who’s going to end up murdered?”

“He’s not a murderer.”

“All you know is that he’s hot. There have been hot serial killers.”

I gasp. “What are you trying to do here? Get me to cancel?”

“Hardly,” she scoffs. “I was just pointing out a touch of hypocrisy on your part. I’d totally go with him.”

I set the gloss back on the dresser and try to ignore the hint of jealousy that settles in my stomach. I really don’t know what to do with it.

There’s no reason she couldn’t go with him—not that she was saying that. She wasn’t. She wouldn’t do that. But the idea of Bellamy going with Hollis tonight makes me feel a certain way that I don’t love.

“Okay, Bells. I gotta go. Hollis should be here soon,” I say, shaking my head and hoping the crazy thoughts leave.

“Have fun. Make sure your tracking is on so I can find you if you end up in a ditch.”

“You are a terrible friend,” I joke.

All she does is laugh.

“Talk to you later,” I say.

“Call me as soon as you get home. I want all the details.”

I grab my purse. “There will be no details that you’re interested in hearing.” I head into the hallway with a final look at myself and deposit my purse near the door.

“You’ll have no good details because you’re lame.”

“I’m not lame. I’m just trying to figure out my life over here and not just roll in the breeze.”

“When did you get all judgy?” she teases me. “You get a hot boyfriend, and all of a sudden, you’re a little judgy friend.”

I laugh. “I’m not judging you, and he’s not my boyfriend.”

“Let’s reconvene this conversation in a week.”