Chapter twenty five
I'm standing in a circle with the girls, Kyle and Sebastian while they talk about something I'm unable to listen to since I'm zoning out so much.
I'm exhausted from my job because I've been trying to distract myself with it to the point where I worked overtime and took every little task under my wing so I could force myself not to think about those photos.
We're at a wine-tasting event that Ruby invited us to, and the tasting room is wrapped up in a warm and quiet elegance that is once again completely outside of the world we're usually in.
A bright light is filtering in through tall windows, casting golden patches across the wooden floors where dust hangs in the air.
The scent of oak and traces of ripe fruit are soaking the atmosphere along with it.
At the center of it all stands the bar, clad in smooth, dark wood. I notice that it's worn just slightly at the edges, and behind it there are countless bottles lining the walls like books on a shelf.
Outside, the vineyard rolls across the horizon, basking under the afternoon sun, but I'm brought out of my thoughts by the sommelier who moves towards us yet again, pouring small, shimmering pools of red and gold into crystal glasses, offering murmured notes about the wine.
I lift the glass up to my lips, not really trying to figure out what I'm drinking. If I try really hard, maybe I can taste the apricot that was mentioned a moment ago.
Sebastian is laughing at something as we're all standing with our drinks, and he jokingly flicks Jenny's shoulder because she's the one beside him while they're immersed in their debate.
Ruby joins our circle in a second, stopping by Mia's side. They dive into a light conversation before Ruby's eyes stop on Sebastian and Jenny. "I mean, don't you think it's strange how close they are?" she asks, feeding the lie. That's when I give her a sideways glance.
Why am I getting the feeling that she's trying to put doubts into her head?
Ruby meets my eyes then and smiles sweetly, but I can see the icy glaze behind it. She's looking at me like she's seeing competition. Nose upturned, and her arms crossed. She's scrutinizing me with her gaze before she turns to walk away.
A bad feeling covers me immediately.
Does she know something?
"Don't you think it's weird how she keeps hinting that they're a thing?" I whisper to Kyle, knowing that he heard it too, and he nods, both of us watching how Ruby laughs with a group of people, effortlessly pretty and practically beaming from the pearls decorating her neck and ears.
I try to brush it off, but as time passes by, it seems to me like I'm not the only one feeling bored. Me, Jenny and Sebastian step outside for a breather, and none of us are overly enthusiastic about staying longer.
"Should we leave? It's getting late." Jenny suggests while wrapping her jacket around her shoulders and crossing her arms. I place my glass away immediately, not even caring that I didn't finish the wine.
"Yeah, but we're missing a few people," Sebastian says, standing between us with his hands in his pockets.
We're outside, and the light breeze is starting to sprinkle goosebumps down my arms. Since Kyle has the car keys and is nowhere to be found, we can only wait. I saw him go to the restrooms earlier, so he might get back sooner or later.
Mia is also gone, and Elias is stuck with his father, so we move to lean on the railing on the veranda, and comfortable silence engulfs us, as a result of us being tired.
In a few minutes, Mia walks out of the venue with a scowl on her face, eyes set on the three of us. My brows scrunch a little at her unusual demeanor, but before I can ask, she speaks already.
"I knew it," she says with a snarl, eyes directed at her boyfriend. "I can't believe you, Sebastian. After everything that we've talked about! After everything that you told me." She gets furious, shocking me. She never gets so angry, especially not at one of us.
Sebastian's brows jump and he steps closer. "Baby, what? What are you talking about?"
"You're fucking her!" She slaps some photos on the bench beside us and I stare at the photos along with Jenny who looks equally freaked out. On the photos, there are him and Jenny in various shots, photographed in Sebastian's car and in the booth at Bluebird.
"What the hell? No. What are you saying?" Sebastian looks confused, looking at the photos too and picking them up. "It wasn't anything like that." He shakes his head.
"Mia, are you serious right now?" Jenny asks, and chaos brews.
"Very serious," Mia replies before another figure shows up, making her turn around. "You said you saw them. That they looked...intimate."
Ruby just smiles sweetly, crossing her arms under her chest. "I said it seemed like something was going on. I never said anything for sure."
It dawns on me then. She's doing this on purpose.
But what's the reason for it?
"Where did you even get this?" Sebastian asks, and I see Elias and Kyle walking towards us, joining in on the drama.
"Does it matter? You lied to me," Mia says.
"We would never do anything like that." Jenny steps closer, but Mia brushes her hand away immediately.
"They're telling the truth." I defend them. I know for a fact that anything romantic happening between Mia and Sebastian is untrue because Sebastian asked me to go with them too that day. He wanted to get something nice for Mia's upcoming birthday and asked us to tag along.
"Don't even start, Sierra. You always take her side, no matter what." Mia accuses me, and my lips part in protest.
"What do you mean I always take her side? When did I ever choose sides between you two?" I fire back, but she isn't having it.
"What the fuck is this?" Jenny lets out suddenly, and my eyes snap in her direction where I see her staring at the photos that I hadn't seen before that were mixed up with the rest. On one of them, there's me and Elias, and my blood runs cold, eyes widening.
What the hell is going on?
"You two are hooking up?" Jenny holds up the photo.
"What?" Sebastian snaps, snatching it away to look at it too.
Elias's brows furrow with confusion, and we make brief eye contact. I can feel my heart going miles per hour and my blood pumping behind my ears. A deafening silence follows before Sebastian scoffs.
"And you didn't tell us?" He looks up, staring at us both.
"When exactly did this happen?" Mia asks, and suddenly everyone is looking our way.
"In college..." I trail off, not wanting to drop the bomb that the pictures were literally taken a little more than a week ago. "I mean, it wasn't anything serious," I say, looking at Elias for backup.
"What?" Their voices echo as they look at us with more accusation than ever. Kyle remains silent next to me, and Jenny is quick to link the pieces.
"You knew?" She lets out a breath of betrayal, then looks at me. "Of course he knew. You barely tell me anything, anyway."
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. Things are going south fast, and the entire group is practically falling apart, just as I feared.
"You didn't trust us," Sebastian says and looks at Mia. "At least we told everyone."
"Yeah. And they can also know that it's over now." Mia shoots back.
"Are you seriously gonna break up with him?" Jenny says, throwing her hands up. "Nothing happened between us!"
"Why are you so quick to defend him if there's nothing between you?" Mia rolls her eyes while pointing out the finger quotations.
"We've literally been friends for years!" Jenny raises her tone. "You're acting crazy right now. You have no business talking when you ended up with him despite him calling you all those terrible names. It's so easy that he might actually do it again if that's the way you want to act."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sebastian snaps at the accusation. "You're one to talk."
"Guys," Kyle interrupts then. "Everything's kind of coming out now, so maybe it's time for me to admit that I slept with Ruby." He blurts out, sounding off and being way too calm.Maybe it's the wine.
Ruby lets out a gasp, not expecting the secret to unravel that fast. The rest look between them with shock. All eyes snap at him, and he looks at Elias with guilt pooling in his gaze. "Sorry, man."
"What the fuck?" Jenny lets out in frustration. "Did everyone go nuts?" She walks off, and Mia goes into a different direction, Sebastian chasing after her.
Me, Kyle and Elias stay behind, silence tugging at our mouths.
"Something's not adding up here," I say after a moment. "Who took the photos?"
"I don't think it's a coincidence," Elias adds. "It's like someone's been following us... Where'd you get these?"
"Mia brought them," My eyes lift to find Ruby's then, and I tilt my head to the side. "I think you have some explaining to do."