Both our faces turn toward the door and my dread is mirrored in her eyes.
“You should go into the bedroom,” I say, unwrapping myself from her and standing.
She stares at me a moment longer then does as I asked. When she’s out of sight, I move to the door and look through the peephole. On my landing is a Hispanic woman in a green blouse. I finger comb my hair and pull open the door.
“Caiden Brenner?” she asks.
My heart is hammering in my chest and I fight to keep the adrenaline out of my voice. “Yes.”
“I’m Detective Diaz. I wondered if I might have a word with you about Blaire Leon?”
I nod and swing the door wider for her to pass.
She steps inside and takes a second to scan the room. “Is it okay if I sit?” she asks, gesturing to the couch.
“Sure.” We move that direction and I shake off some of my daze. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you,” she says, lowering herself into the end of the couch and placing her bag on the floor next to her feet. “This should only take a few minutes.”
I take the seat on the opposite end.
She pulls a pen and small scratch pad from her bag and angles herself toward me. “I have a rather delicate situation, Mr. Brenner. Your faculty advisor at Sierra State has filed a very explicit report with the police describing sexual activity between you and an underage student from his class in the library on Monday evening. I’d like you to tell me what happened.”
Blaire just told her it wasn’t true. If I say anything else before she has a chance to recant, I’m calling her out as a liar. But I’m not as convinced as Blaire that they’ll dismiss Dr. Duncan’s statement if we deny it. If I back Blaire’s lie and we’re discovered, it will look that much more sordid.
“I’d like you to remember that you’re the adult in this scenario, Mr. Brenner,” she says, reading my hesitation. “Miss Leon is seventeen. I know in reality she’s not exactly a child, but in the eyes of the law, she needs to be protected if protection is in order. I just need to know she’s okay.”
I can feel Blaire in the next room and I know she’s hanging on every word. If I don’t play along, she’s likely to burst out here and blow this whole thing up.
“Blaire Leon is an incredible person. She’s passionate and talented and so full of spirit that sometimes I get lost in it. But Dr. Duncan was mistaken in what he thought he saw.”
“So you’re saying you’ve never had sexual intercourse with Blaire Leon?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Well, then, I’m sorry to have bothered you.” She stands. “I appreciate your time, Mr. Brenner.”
I see her to the door.
As she steps through, she pulls a card out of her bag. “Just in case you think of anything else.”
I take it and close the door as she starts down the stairs. I watch through the peephole as she lays her hand on the hood of Blaire’s Mini, parked just outside, then glances back at my door.
And I know I’m screwed.
Blaire bounces out of the bedroom, all smiles. “It’s going to be okay.”
I don’t contradict her, because the way her face looks right now, glowing and wide open, makes me feel so full inside I could live off of the sensation forever. I fold her tightly into my arms and kiss her forehead. “You need to go back to school.”
Her fingers find the hem of my T-shirt and tug. “I had something else in mind.”
I gently grasp her wrist and bring the backs of her fingers to my mouth, brushing her knuckles across my lips. “I’m already responsible for besmirching your honor. I’m not going to be responsible for your delinquency too.”
She shakes her head as some of the glow vanishes from her face. “This is what they don’t see. If I’d made that proposition to any guy in my high school class, he’d be towing me out the door for a quickie in his car. But this is wrong,” she says with a wave of her hand between us. “Even though you actually give a shit about me.”
I kiss her slowly then draw back. “I more than ‘give a shit’ about you, Blaire.”
She sinks into my chest and I hold her for a long time. Finally, I pry her away. “You really need to go back to class.”
Her fingertips find my face and she trails them over my jaw line. “I love you.”
The unabashed love in her gaze stalls my heart and steals my breath. “Those words don’t feel like enough.”
“Then I’ll think of better ones,” she says, stretching up and pressing her mouth to mine.
Our bodies are better at conveying exactly how we feel and it’s minutes later we finally part.
“You need to go now, before I change my mind,” I say.