Free Twelve Truths and a Lie by Christina Lee

myself then. “Do you—”
    I felt my entire body flush. I was jealous. Seriously?
    Her eyebrows drew together. “What?”
    Honesty, right? Lay it all out on the table. That’s what friends did.
    “Do you have a thing for Maddie?” I asked in as steady a voice as I could muster.
    Her eyes became wide as headlights. As if she’d been caught. My heart was thrashing in my chest. Except, fuck, it was probably for the best, after all of my reckless behavior the last few months. Maybe she was biding her time until she got herself together as well. In the meantime, she’d keep tabs on my roommate through me.
    My thoughts were racing all over the place, along with my pulse.
    Would I continue to meet her?
    Just friends, right?
    “Can you keep a secret?” she asked, leaning forward conspiratorially again.
    I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Uh, sure.”
    She bit her lip and looked around, as if mustering the courage to break it to me gently. “It’s not me who has the crush.”
    I was momentarily blindsided as fresh air filtered back into my lungs.
    “It’s a…friend of a friend, so don’t say anything,” she said, looking over her shoulder, as if that person would magically appear. “And yeah, I suppose I was fishing for information.”
    Relief surged through me, which was all kinds of fucked up. But my roommate wasn’t the one for her; of that I was certain. My instincts already told me that nobody would be and I needed to tread carefully because Aurora and I weren’t together, not like that.
    And then I remembered that she wasn’t trying to have a relationship with anybody, not right now. The whole purpose of our club and our meetings. I had lost myself again in all the qualities she possesses that I admired.
    But that didn’t mean she could help having a crush. Neither could I.
    “I won’t say a word,” I breathed out. “Maddie’s a good guy. He’s been dating around a bit before he settles down. It’ll sound archaic if you don’t understand the Hindu religion or their customs, but his family has him matched up to marry somebody in the near future.”
    “What?” she replied, nearly dropping her pastry in her lap.
    “Yeah,” I said, with the calmness of a person who’d had this knowledge about his friend for years. “They think it’s time since he’s pretty well established in his career.”
    “No way,” she responded, her mouth falling open. “Oh my God.”
    She appeared completely stunned, as if I had just told her she was adopted or something. But knowing her, she’d go home and look it up and have an understanding of the traditions by our next meeting.
    She’d tell me all the ways the religious custom was admirable. The way it was constructed in reality, not based on the notion of soul mates or destiny. And then give me the pros and cons of such an ideal.
    She was just that way—smart and empathic, and fuck, so damn lovely right now. Her cheeks glowing, her eyebrow cocked, as if her brain was working hard to wrap her mind around the very concept of Maddie and his future wife.
    “Wow, you’re really taking this hard,” I said in a teasing tone. “Are you sure you’re not the one crushing on my friend?”
    She blushed a beautiful shade of crimson. “And if I was?”
    “Then I’d have to break it to you gently,” I said, thumping my wrist on the table. “He’s not going to be available long-term.”
    “Well, that’s okay, remember?” she replied in a flippant way. “I’m only supposed to be looking for short-term. Or really, one night.”
    Good God, that husky voice of hers.
    “Well, you keep saying it just like that,” I said, gulping, “and you’ll have a string of guys following you around.”
    Did that really just come out of my mouth?
    Her cheeks deepened further. “Geez, maybe I need you to coach me. You’re good for the self-esteem.”
    Were we now in flirting territory?
    “If you were truly serious, I’d help you out,” I said, my heart crashing against