I gave my phone a little shake.
"Not just you. You and Joanna. The two of you."
"Your booking app is linked to my number, so the confirmation text came to me. Forget about that?"
Stewart's brow furrowed. "Felicia, you're spying on me now?"
Joanna rushed to smooth it over. "Felicia, don't blame Stewart."
"I wanted to get away for a bit, and I didn't want to interrupt your research, so I asked Stewart to come with me."
"Felicia, you're not upset, are you? Or... or we could all go together another time?"
I looked at the two of them and said it slowly, one word at a time.
"Sure. Then let's wait until my research is done and go together."
The answer caught Joanna short, and the smile froze on her face.
A moment later, her eyes turned red.
"I should've held off on booking the hotel. The seller says it's nonrefundable..."
Stewart picked up a napkin and gently dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
Joanna tilted her head into it, easy, as if she'd known the gesture forever.
So used to it that Stewart never noticed he'd crossed a line. He just set his face and turned it on me.
"Felicia, what's wrong with you? You won't go yourself, so nobody else gets to go?"
"I'll take Joanna this time, and once your research is finished we'll all go together. Where's the problem?"
I tapped the message on my phone.
"The flight's tomorrow morning."
"If I hadn't found out, when exactly were you planning to tell me?"
"Or were you never planning to tell me at all?"
Joanna's pitiful little expression froze on her face, and Stewart's hand hung in the air with the napkin.
I picked up my bag and got up.
"When you asked me out today, was it to see me, or did you have something else in mind?"
I'd barely gotten home when Stewart called.
"Felicia, what was that about today? What's with the passive-aggressive act?"
"You don't understand?"
Stewart lost his temper. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Joanna. I only agreed to look after your best friend so you could focus on your research!"
"I go out of my way for you, and instead of appreciating it, you throw a jealous fit over nothing!"
"And your research. How many times have I offered to back it up for you? You just never send it. What's that supposed to mean? I'm being kind and you treat me like a thief?"
I hung up on him.
I opened my laptop and pulled up the college application system again.
Brenton University. This time I didn't hesitate at all.
Joanna started posting travel photos.
Scenery, food, couple shots with Stewart.
Someone commented: 【Handsome guy, pretty girl, perfect match!】
Joanna replied with a bashful face.
Stewart sent me one message a day.
【Don't let jealousy get in the way of your research. Joanna and I only left you out because we didn't want to derail your big project.】
Research. He really did care about my research.
I opened my laptop and added a stroke to it, offhand.
A week later, my Brenton acceptance letter arrived.
I'd just torn open the envelope when Stewart and Joanna showed up, travel-worn and out of breath.
"What's the meaning of you not answering our messages these past few days? Trying to make us feel guilty?"
"Is the research all done?"
I took out the acceptance letter.
"It's done."
"You two looked like you were having such a good time, I didn't have the heart to interrupt."
The moment Stewart heard the research was finished, his whole face relaxed.
"I hear Ashford lets you submit your research now. Send it to me, I can submit it for you!"
I gave the letter in my hand a little shake.
"Why would I submit my research to Ashford?"
Stewart's eyes went wide, and he snatched the acceptance letter out of my hand.
"Brenton? How did you get into Brenton?"
Joanna's face changed too.
