Chapter 11
I woke to the warmth of the rising sun on my face and an empty bed.
Years of sleepovers had taught me that Asha was not a light sleeper.
Violent was a better description. More often than not, I’d be jolted awake by a wandering elbow or jerking knee.
And in the morning, pillows would spot the floor like wounded soldiers on a battlefield, while the sheets were twisted and yanked away from the mattress corners.
But this morning, Asha’s side of the bed looked nothing like the war zone I was used to.
Her half of the comforter was only slightly rumpled, all her pillows were accounted for, and the sheets were still intact.
Maybe she was so exhausted from traveling that there had been no energy left for her usual tossing and turning?
Or maybe being in a strange bed kept her from falling asleep?
Whatever the case, she was most likely on a morning run, and I wanted to hop in the shower before she returned. Another thing I’d learned from our hundreds of sleepovers? Asha had a talent for using up all the hot water.
Crouching beside my duffel, I rummaged through my limited wardrobe in search of an outfit.
My best option was a casual white sundress that belted at the waist, which hopefully wouldn’t look ridiculous with my Keds.
I folded the dress over my arm, grabbed my toiletry bag, and stepped into the hall.
As I was making my way toward the bathroom, I heard a voice.
“I don’t understand why you’re so angry about this. I said I was sorry.”
It was Alec. He sounded upset. The door to the office was ajar, but I knew this was a private conversation. I picked up my pace with the intention of speeding past his room, but the next words out of his mouth made me pause.
“Violet and I are tight, so I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
Was he talking about Violet James? I leaned in and cocked an ear to hear better.
“What?” he exclaimed, his voice turning sharp. “My own self-interests? Are you serious?” There was a long pause. “But we made a deal. I did everything you asked!” Another pause. “No, don’t feed me that bullshit. It’s just more lies… Yeah, whatever. Screw you.”
The next few seconds passed in silence, and realizing the conversation was over, I jerked upright. Are you seriously spying on Alec right now? Embarrassed with myself, I begin to slink away. Because honestly. How mortifying would it be if he caught me snooping outside his door?
“Hey, Vi. It’s me,” he said suddenly, and I froze again. “I know you left for Paris this morning, but can you call me back when you get this message? We need to talk. Miss you. Bye.”
I sucked in a deep breath. Vi? I didn’t realize the two were on a nickname level of closeness. How tight were they?
There was movement inside Alec’s room, and before I had time to give anything I’d heard a second thought, he pulled back the door. For a beat we both stood there, staring at each other.
Alec was the kind of person who looked like a magazine spread come to life: perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect smile.
I’d never imagined him as anything less than camera ready, but now he was looking more human than ever before.
He was sporting athletic shorts and a white T-shirt worn thin with love.
But more startling than seeing Alec Williams in his pajamas was the state of his hair.
Like the plastic locks of a Ken doll, his hair was always orderly—bangs swept up and styled, every strand accounted for.
Not today. Spikes of platinum shot in every direction as if he’d fought with his pillow in the middle of the night and lost. It made him seem younger, and it was more endearing than I was prepared for.
“Felicity?” He frowned at me. “What are you doing?”
I grimaced as the tingling sensation of embarrassment swept across my face.
“Ah, hey. Sorry to intrude. I heard that you were up and I, um…” I was struggling to come up with a good excuse for why I was lurking outside his room.
It was too early in the morning for quick thinking, and I hadn’t had my daily dose of caffeine.
Oh, coffee!
“There’s a Starbucks down the block,” I said. “I saw it on our way in last night. I was thinking of picking up coffee for everybody. As a thank-you to Kelsey for everything. Want to come with me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Awesome. I’m going to shower before Asha snags it. Give me half an hour?”
“Okay. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Twenty minutes later, I was clean and ready to go, but Asha had yet to return. Maybe her run had turned into a sightseeing opportunity? Her phone was charging on the nightstand, so I couldn’t text her, not that she’d respond anyway. She never did while running.
Maybe she told Boomer where she went?
That wasn’t likely, considering he was a grouch any time before noon, but it wouldn’t hurt to check.
The second guest room was still wrapped in darkness when I inched open the door.
The curtains were drawn tight to keep the morning out, and when I stuck my head in, light from the hall cut a swatch of golden warmth across the carpet.
Even before my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I knew something was off.
I pushed into the room, and as I approached the bed, I reeled at the sight before me.
A heap of clothes on the floor, tangled arms and bare skin, a coil of charcoal hair spread across Boomer’s chest like a drop of ink in water.
I had to process each image individually before my brain could fully grasp what my eyes were seeing. My best friend was in bed with my other best friend.
Asha and Boomer.
Boomer and Asha.
A wave of shock rolled through me, leaving me speechless.
The light must have woken Asha, because she lifted her head off Boomer’s shoulder and blinked at me. We stared at each other. Thankfully, all the parts of the two of them that I never wanted to see were covered by the comforter, but Asha hitched the blanket up to her chin and elbowed Boomer awake.
“Wha…?” he mumbled, but didn’t open his eyes. She tried again, nudging until he sat up. “The hell, Asha? It’s too early.”
Still speechless, she raised a hand and pointed at me. Boomer’s gaze followed the direction of her finger. Emotion flashed across his face like a flip-book—from shocked to panicked to guilty as charged.
A strained silence dragged out between us, but I refused to be the one to break it.
After another tooth-grinding moment, Boomer reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, fuck.”
I opened my mouth, but all that came out were the choked beginnings of laughter as hysteric anger billowed inside my chest. “That’s all you have to say?” I sputtered.
Boomer lifted a shoulder, equal parts apologetic and blasé. “What do you expect? It’s not like we wanted you to find out this way.”
“No.” Shaking my head, I held up a hand to stop any further explanation. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
There was already enough on my plate with Rose and the letters and Stanford. It was impossible to imagine squeezing my friends’ love life on there as well. My feet were moving before I realized it. I had to put space between myself and the situation so I could think.
“Wait, Felicity!” Asha cried as I fled the room, but I didn’t stop.
***
Alec was already by the front door when I rushed down the stairs five minutes early.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pulling out his headphones.
“Can we just get out of here?” I glanced over my shoulder to see if my friends were following, but the landing at the top of the steps was empty. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
In contrast to my mood, the weather was perfect—sunny enough to warm my skin, but not so hot that I was constantly plucking at my dress.
As we made our way up the sidewalk, I pushed on my favorite sunglasses (a pair of electric-blue cat eyes I’d bought at Dollar Discount and jazzed up by splatter painting the frames), and explained how I’d found Asha in bed with Boomer.
“Wait. You didn’t know they were together?” Alec asked, not bothering to keep the surprise from his voice.
I froze on the sidewalk. “Are you saying you did?”
He nodded.
God, I was such an idiot. The biggest of idiots. How was it possible that Alec, who’d only known Asha and Boomer for a day, had figured out they were together? I was the person who supposedly knew them the best. How had I missed the chemistry between them?
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Felicity. I figured you knew.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re not the one who should be apologizing.”
“You’re mad at them?”
“Yes!” I said. Then, “No. Ugh, I don’t know.” I sank my fingers into my still-damp hair.
You’re not angry with them, I tried to convince myself. Don’t be a petty, narrow-minded person who can’t be happy for her friends.
But I couldn’t stop seeing the image of them tangled together in bed.
And then I remembered how strange the two of them had acted when they got to my house yesterday, the vague answer Boomer gave when I asked how they’d arrived so quickly, how Asha wouldn’t look me in the eye. They’d been hanging out as a couple.
“Hey,” Alec said, taking both my wrists in his hands. He gently dislodged my fingers from my hair before I pulled a chunk out in frustration. “Why don’t we get some coffee, and then we can figure everything out, yeah?”
I sighed in lieu of responding, but started walking again.
He was quiet for the rest of our stroll, which I appreciated.
I knew he was trying to figure out what to say to cheer me up, and his company alone was enough to comfort me.
By the time we reached the end of the street, the anger and confusion pumping through my system had run its course, and only then did I realize that one of my hands was still clutched in his.