Free Matters of Circumstance by Ashley Andrews Page B

It’s like you’re trying to be psychic!”
    And Farrah was not so worked up that she couldn’t see the humor in that. She cracked a smile even though it felt awkward and stiff on her face. “Yeah, I guess it does sound kind of funny.”
    “Exactly.” Then he hugged her, but as she was a little on the short side the movement unbalanced him somewhat. He staggered forward with her a few steps, but when they steadied he rested his cheek against her in a new bout of solemnity. “God, I hate it when we argue like that,” he muttered.
    “Me too,” she said in kind, hugging him back. There were so many things she wanted to add onto that—that he was her best friend and she hated when they couldn’t agree on the things that counted, that he was the only one she talked to like this and despite what it seemed she appreciated him infinitely—but no matter how she tried to convince herself to speak her mouth remained firmly shut.
    “I don’t think our arguments are that vicious, though. We could do worse,” she said, trying to keep the atmosphere positive.
    “Oh yeah. Some of the shortest and comparatively civil fights I’ve ever had.” He held her a little tighter and said in her ear, “I’m not saying I don’t believe you, either. I’m just saying that while there’s no evidence of anything we need to keep acting like nothing weird is going on. Can do?” He pulled back enough to see her face and smiled slightly, as if in encouragement.
    She echoed the gesture a little bashfully. “Yeah, I can do that.” But then she remembered that she had something else to tell him and a sudden surge of embarrassment forced her look away. “This morning I… I told my parents you’d be coming over, possibly staying for dinner. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, or you’ve already got plans, but I did say it.”
    He laughed again, but it was softly. Maybe a space-filler or something. “You should see yourself right now. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you actually told them I was your boyfriend.”
    Heat was rushing to her face with a vengeance. In a way it hurt that he automatically jumped to that conclusion. In a way, it hurt a lot. She didn’t blame him, though. It wasn’t Neal’s fault if that was the way she acted.
    Really, he had no idea how halting and difficult that conversation with her parents had been. Farrah could not believe how timid she got in situations like this. It felt so unlike her.
    “A-actually…”
    Neal stopped, apparently at a loss for words. His eyes were a little wide and his eyebrows were arched. “No kidding?” he said, his body language hinting that he was trying to lighten the situation.
    “I’m not ashamed of you,” she said, too awkward about everything to look at him but meaning all she said, every single word. “It wasn’t fair to you or them if I acted as if you didn’t exist. I’m sorry it took so long, there’s no excuse for that.”
    Well, that and the fact that she hated the idea of Neal being bitter about their relationship. It was her fault that she hadn’t been upfront with her parents about him. If she had then this wouldn’t have become such a huge problem.
    “There isn’t, but I honestly didn’t expect you to change the next day,” he said, at once astonished and touched.
    “If you had seen me this morning you would have laughed.”
    He chortled now, as she had hoped he would. “This probably makes me sound like a sap, but I appreciate that you did that.”
    Farrah tipped forward and hugged him again. Maybe her actions would communicate how much he meant to her, somehow. She wished that it would be enough for him to pick up on something, at least.
    “So you’re coming?” Like she really needed to ask.
    “Yeah I’m coming.” He rocked her somewhat as he held her. “So is that all the recent news, according to you?”
    “Yeah—why?” Farrah tilted her head up and propped her chin on his chest. “Are you expecting even more