Chapter 4 #3
Her eyes flashed. “You are unbelievably arrogant but you did remember I like lavender as a victory drink which hopefully means that you do know I’m not into that odd kink Britney said you liked.”
“I saw sex as exercise that helps relieve work stress, but that hasn’t happened since we became friends. Britney is talking about long before we met.”
“I hate when you say nice things like that.”
“I know that too.”
“Stop knowing things about me.”
A response rose to my mouth. I killed it.
Because this wasn’t the moment for wit, and with Kelly that mattered. So I let her go.
“If there were a better way to undo what I did so I’d not hurt a friend,” I said, “I’d do that. There isn’t.”
She stared.
“It won’t be all bad. We’ve navigated events together in the past.”
“Don’t,” she said quietly.
“Don’t what?”
“Act like us sitting together by choice at a few parties suddenly meant we’d be good at this plan of yours.”
“I’m not.”
“Then what are you doing?”
The answer came out before I’d fully cleaned it up.
“Trying not to hurt you because of something I did.”
Silence.
Kelly’s face moved in tiny, charged ways when she was moved against her will. Her mouth got still and her eyes went brighter.
I had no business noticing how attractive that was. Or how much touching her arm sent a ripple of awareness through me.
She looked away and swore under her breath. Not theatrically. enough to tell me she was losing ground she did not want to lose.
I waited.
Finally she said, “Britney is going to set you on fire.”
“That seems fair.”
“No, I mean… she’ll probably use accelerant.”
“I’ll wear something less flammable.”
That bought me exactly half a second of almost-amusement before she caught herself and glared harder.
“Don’t flirt while trying to trap me into a fake relationship.”
“I’m not flirting.”
“Would you prefer I flirt?”
Her face did something wonderful and murderous. I said nothing.
Then she narrowed her gaze and said, “I want to buy the white dress and get married after the ceremony, honey.”
I smiled before I could stop it. “There it is.”
“God.” She shoved a hand through her hair and laughed. “God, that is fucking deranged.”
“A little scary.”
“I don’t think you get much choice in how I talk but that was a bad joke. You and I will never get married.”
My heart sped up. “I don’t remember asking.”
“You didn’t but you started and this is the exact path everyone we know went down. You sure this is the only way?”
“I have no other options,” I said, “And one weekend means I’ll take the larger hit where I can and keep you out of the blast where I can’t.”
Her eyes narrowed with immediate suspicion. “Why does that sound like another version of you making decisions for me?”
“Because you’re committed to believing the worst about me.”
“You don’t make that hard.”
“No but it’s easy to be hard near you.”
Her eyes widened. I drew a breath.
“I’ll keep my flirting to a minimum,” I said. “But we’re going to have to remember we do actually like each other.”
She snorted.
Kelly stared at me so long the shape of her thinking.
Finally she nodded and said, “Remember this is only through graduation weekend.”
I held her gaze.
“No sleeping together.”
My attention snagged on the phrase so hard I almost laughed.
“Agreed,” I said. “For now.”
I kept my face still.
She crossed her arms. “For the duration.”
“You can invite me in your bed, anytime.”
Her mouth flattened, probably because she heard what I’d heard.
“Don’t enjoy this,” she snapped.
“Too late.”
She folded her arms again. “I want rules.”
“Tomorrow,” I said. “We’ll set them tomorrow.”
“Public place.”
“Also fine.”
“And you are not picking me up.”
I looked at her for one beat. “Probably wise.”
“That was not permission to sound smug.”
“I’m not smug.”
She gave me a look so devastatingly cute though she intended it to be hard.
Then she glanced toward her car to get away from negotiating a fake relationship with me beside a hydrangea hedge.
Something moved low and unpleasantly interested in my chest.
“Go,” she said.
Or we could go out. “Kelly-”
“No. We are not having a second conversation now.”
“We could get drinks.,” I said.
She pointed toward my car. “Leave before I revoke my agreement and make us both suffer.”
That sounded like her.
I inclined my head once and stepped back. “Tomorrow. I’ll text the location.”
She glanced at me and I remembered she was the one with the plan. Then she turned and walked back toward the front path without another word.
I should have left first.
Instead I stood there one beat too long again, watching the swing of her hips. She was beautiful and I should have been smart enough to factor in sooner.
By the time I reached my car, my phone was already buzzing.
Roman. I answered through the speakers and pulled away from the curb.
“Well?”
I looked once in the rearview mirror. Kelly had not come back outside.
“She’ll probably have lunch with maman. But first we talk more.”
Roman was silent for exactly one second. “That feels like a terrible idea.”
“Why?”
I took the main road out of the development, the late sun flashing gold off parked cars and windows. “Maman should have negotiated more of a discount with the jewelers.”
“Don’t stress about my life,” I said.
Roman’s laugh was quiet and entirely without mercy. “You and Adrian are all that’s left for her now and Adrian is graduating college so you’re it.”
I ended the call before he could say anything else.
Then I called my mother. She answered on the first ring. “Xerses joon.”
“Stop texting Kelly directly until after the weekend.”
Silence.
Then, soft delight from the bridge. “Oh? Trouble in paradise?”
I smiled despite myself and hated that too.
“Friday,” I said. “She’ll be there Friday.”
My mother’s satisfaction glowed through the line like sunlight through glass. “Good. And for all my parties and events.”
She had something planned. I didn’t want to know. I disconnected anyway.
It had to be temporary with Kelly. She wanted to kill me.