Rites of Passage - A Courtland Novel by Grant Cat

Author:Grant, Cat [Grant, Cat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780986309922
Publisher: Cat Grant Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“That’s good,” I murmured.

“What is?”

“My folks are taking a vacation too. Have you ever been—” I stopped myself before I made an offer I wasn’t sure he’d appreciate. “They’ll be at their villa all summer, if my mom gets her way. This is the first year I haven’t gone with them.” Sighing, I shoved the phone in my pocket.

Which already bulged with an identical item, except for the color. Mine was green. Bilal’s was blue.

I pushed it across the table to him. “I activated it and programmed my new number in it. You might want to call or email your sister and give her your number.”

But Bilal didn’t touch the phone. “Do you think I’m stupid or something?”

“What?” He’d changed the subject so fast, it nearly gave me whiplash. “Bilal, where’s all this coming from? I don’t understand—”

“Look, I’m not so emotionally fragile that I’ll fall to pieces if I have to set foot in our hotel again. And I didn’t need you to go out and spend more money on me, when I told you I’d buy my own—”

“We both needed UK region phones. Buying yours along with mine saved time.” Why do I need to explain this? Isn’t it obvious? “And a little money. They gave me a discount.”

He opened his wallet again. “How much do I owe you?”

“Put that away.”

“No.”

“Bilal—”

“Shhh! I’m counting.” The stack of crisp ten-pound notes in the center of the table grew until he’d peeled off a hundred pounds. “Here. I hope it didn’t cost more than that.”

Oh, how fucking ridiculous.

Bilal’s shoulders tightened. Shit, did I say that last part aloud? “I didn’t mean you’re ridiculous.”

“I know what you mean,” he said. “But you and your family showering me with gifts? It needs to stop. If our relationship’s going to work, I need to be an equal partner.”

“You think we’re not equal because you don’t have money? That’s—”

“Completely accurate. Your trust fund tips the scales so far in your direction, I doubt I’ll ever be able to balance it out.”

The trust fund. Of course.

“What d’you want?” I asked. “For me to give it all away?”

“Oh, don’t be stupid.”

“I told you, I plan to use it only when absolutely necessary.”

“What qualifies as necessary? You’d really rather live in some shitty little flat instead of someplace clean and safe? You want to work your way up the ladder at someone else’s gallery, when you could easily afford to open your own?”

“Someday, maybe. Once I get enough experience in the art biz.” Bilal’s phone hadn’t cost anywhere close to a hundred pounds. I picked up twenty and left the rest. “That trust fund means neither of us will ever have to grit our teeth through another miserable day at a toxic job. It means we can take our time finding the right job, and still cover our rent.”

“Our?” Bilal echoed.

“Yes, our. We’re partners, remember?” I slid my hands across the table, waiting for Bilal to take them—or not. I held my breath until my lungs burned, and Bilal’s warm fingers closed over mine.

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