One Tiny Lie A Novel

around my body, enfolding me into a warm hug, as if we’re old friends rather than two people who just met. “So glad to see you again,” he murmurs into my ear, sending a shiver through me.
    “You too,” I giggle, melting into him with ease.
    With a gentle hand on my back, he leads me into a large galley-style kitchen full of dark woods and stainless steel. I never saw any of this the night of the party, seeing as we entered the basement through the back of the house. I’m more than surprised that a bunch of college guys live like this. The back wall is basically all windows, overlooking the secluded wooded backyard.
    “Did you meet Tavish?” Connor asks, gesturing to a stocky guy of about my height with red-tinged hair leaning against the counter, inhaling a piece of pizza.
    “Call me Ty.” He wipes his hand on his jeans and then offers it to me.
    “Dude! This is America. We’re not barbarians here. Wash your hands before offering it to the ladies,” Grant mutters as he hands me a drink, waggling his eyebrows. He has a very pleasant, friendly smile.
    “Bile yer heid!” Ty roars at Grant in a thick Scottish accent that I assume is fake, given he didn’t have it a moment ago. I have no idea what he said but Grant’s chastising must have worked because Ty goes to the sink to wash the pizza grease off.
    “If you ever need a little man in a kilt, Ty’s your guy,” Connor says with a wry grin.
    “A kilt?” I repeat in a high-pitched voice as I remember the picture on my sister’s phone.
    “Ty’s all about the traditions. Aren’t you, Ty?” Reagan chirps from behind me, giggling. She flipped through the pictures too, so she knows exactly what I’m remembering.
    He responds with a loud belch and a grin.
    “Man, Ty. Ease up,” Connor says with a laugh, shaking his head. To me, he says, “He’s a small-doses kind of guy. And a no-doses kind of guy when he’s walking around in that thing. You don’t want to witness it. It’s not pretty, trust me.”
    Reagan howls with laughter as my cheeks burn and Connor chatters away, clueless.
    Connor quirks his brow at her. “What’s so funny, Reagan?”
    “Oh, nothing . . .” An impish grin flashes across her face and then it’s gone. “Good to see you, Connor.”
    He walks over to give her a hug. “Good to see you too, Reagan. Though I don’t know if Princeton is ready to handle you...”
    She only winks in response.
    Folding my arms over my chest, I ask, “So how exactly do you all know each other?” I shoot my sneaky little roommate a pointed glare. She quickly ducks behind Grant, avoiding eye contact.
    “Reagan’s dad coaches my rowing team. Didn’t she tell you that?”
    “She left out a few details.” I know that Reagan’s dad is the coach of a rowing team but she neglected to mention that she even knew Connor, let alone that he was on that team. Again, I glance over my shoulder. Reagan is leaning up against Grant, half-hiding, watching me with a pained expression.
    “We’re also all members of Tiger Inn. A Princeton eating club. You’ve heard of those, right?”
    “Kind of like a frat, right?”
    Connor shrugs. “Way more relaxed than a frat, but we do bicker.”
    I quickly pick through my limited knowledge of Princeton’s social scene to avoid sounding like a dumbass. “Bicker . . . that means pledge, right?”
    “Right. You can’t bicker until spring of your sophomore year, but you should start getting to know the various houses.” Grabbing my hand, Connor pulls me toward another room.
    “So you’re on the rowing team?”
    “Yeah, all four of us. Come on.” Connor grabs my hand and tugs me forward. “Come meet Ash.”
    My brain has just enough time to process, my stomach has enough time to drop, and my legs falter as we step into the den. I’m sure my face is displaying the perfect mix of shock, embarrassment, and horror. There, stretched out in an oversized armchair, beer in one hand, remote in the other, is the tall, lean form with dark brown eyes and shaggy hair that I’ve sworn out of my life.
    Ashton “I Regret You” Henley.
    “This is Ashton, our captain, though for the life of me I can’t figure out why,” Connor says in a playful manner, seemingly oblivious to the fact that I know exactly who Ashton is and am about to collapse.
    I can’t speak as I stare at that face, as I watch those eyes shift from me to Connor to Connor’s hand holding mine, taking a long sip of his beer as he does