Free Blind Faith by Kimberley Reeves

have been more surprised to find out that you hadn’t kissed McKinley considering how determined she was to snag you back then.   I’m happy you have someone you can go out and fun with.   Besides getting you out of the house, it will give me time to catch up on some things I’ve been neglecting since you moved in.”
    Will had to applaud her effort, but she wasn’t nearly the accomplished liar McKinley was.   “What things would that be?”
    “What…oh, just some new history lessons I’ve been meaning to work up.”
    “I see.   So you’d really be okay with being left here alone while I go out on dates.”
    “Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”
    She was still smiling at him and her tone was downright cheerful , but if she was so thrilled with him dating other women, Rufus wouldn’t be eyeing her with that same soulful look he’d had the night Will came to her room when she was having a nightmare.   He wished he could put his arms around her and confess his own feelings but didn’t think this was the right time for it.   With no other options left to him, Will played the one card he felt certain would prod Serena out of the protective shell she was hiding behind.  
    “Just so we’re clear here…it won’t bother you if I go out with McKinley?”
    Serena’s plastic smile faltered for just a fraction of a second.   “Not at all.   You deserve to have some fun after working so hard on your studies.   Go on…you don’t want to keep her waiting, do you?”
    “No…no, I wouldn’t want to do that.”  
    Will bit back the disappointment that rolled through him when she made no attempt to stop him from leaving.   Maybe he’d been wrong to sit back and wait for Serena to realize what she felt for him was more than friendship.   Maybe what she needed was to be nudged into acknowledging she didn’t want him dating McKinley or anyone else.   The performance he just witnessed was practically flawless, and if it wasn’t for Rufus and his own gut instincts, he might have conceded that she didn’t reciprocate his feelings.   But Will wasn’t buying it and he was not giving up without a fight.
    He left the house and started walking with no particular destination in mind.   There was a lot to think about, a million different avenues he could take , but none of them with big flashing neon signs that said, This Way.   Should he let her think he was dating someone else and hope she would be jealous enough to admit she was falling in love with him, or would it just reaffirm her belief that she wasn’t worth loving?   No, Rose had warned him Serena’s self-esteem was practically non-existent ; playing mind games wasn’t going to do anything but complicate matters and make her feel even worse about herself.
    What then?   Tell her the truth?   She would probably order him out of her life before he got more than two sentences into it.   Of course he would have to make a full confession sometime, but not until he was sure she would listen to the whole thing first.   So how did he reach her?   How could he get past that concrete wall around her heart if she rebuilt it as quickly as he tore it down?   It was frustrating as hell , and for the life of him, Will couldn’t figure out a way to get through to her.   He hated to admit defeat but what he needed was a woman’s perspective.  
    Will crossed the street and headed east, picking up the pace the closer he got to her house.   Now that he’d made the decision to ask for help, he was anxious to get there and soak up whatever words of wisdom she could offer.   Twenty minutes later he was standing on her porch with his he finger hovering over the buzzer when the door swung open.
    “Will?”   McKinley pushed the screen door open, a broad smile on her face.   “I knew you would feel bad about our little row, but I never dreamed you would want to kiss and make up so soon.”
    Caught off guard, it took Will a minute to assimilate the fact that not