4. Amala
Four
Amala
Kehlani and Kayden planned on celebrating their second anniversary in Vista this weekend.
The city held significance to them and they invited all four of us to celebrate with them, which included Ares.
Tragic.
He just needed to steer clear of me and there wouldn’t be any issues. I happily welcomed the overdue break from work and the drastic weather change.
The sun gleamed, warmth seeping into my skin.
Gabriella hooked her arm into mine as we walked behind everyone else. “Did you and Calisto, resolve your differences?”
She laughed softly, her curly hair bouncing. “Yes. For now.” She peered at me. “Our methods to find a resolution were ..”
“Interesting?” I tried to suppress my laughter, quickly catching onto the subliminal message.
“Something like that.” She chuckled. “Nicolas told me the same thing you did but he also reassured me and validated my feelings.”
I smiled at her, genuinely happy that she found a man who allowed her the freedom and safety to express her dissatisfaction.
“You deserve it Gabs. Besides, if he ever hurts you he’ll have me to deal with and I’m worse than both of his friends combined.” She chuckled, pushing a stray curl away from her face.
“Don’t I know it?” She teased. “His reassurance sometimes isn’t enough though. Is it normal for me to feel suspicious whenever he overexplains something to me?”
I shook my head, tucking my sunglasses into the top of my shirt. “No, that’s valid. Most of the time they’re telling you things you want to hear.”
“That’s what I said.” I side-eyed someone who walked past me and nearly gagged when I smelled the fresh black coffee aroma waft out from their cup.
I hated coffee. It made me nauseous.
“It’s the reason I’ve never been in a relationship. I’m well aware of their tactics and they’re not going to fool me.”
We entered the hotel lobby, spotted the married couple standing at the front desk, and walked up to them.
“Hey, love birds,” Gabriella said, making them turn toward us. “To be continued.” She whispered to me and I nodded, laughing softly.
We exchanged greetings and that’s when I heard Nicolas and Ares behind us, their voices instantly recognisable.
After hugging Kehlani and shaking Kayden’s hand, I frowned when Ares passed me.
The whiff of his cologne should’ve made me gag but the scent was awfully pleasant. Too pleasant.
Then I heard Kehlani utter the following words and my heart dropped into my stomach.
ARES
“We have a slight problem.”
Kehlani approached Amala and I, her gaze flickering between us.
I cleared my throat, shoving both hands into my trouser pockets. “What’s the problem?”
“The hotel messed up our booking.” She grimaced. “They were under the impression that we wanted three suites for three couples.”
Amala let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. “Your rooms were supposed to be separate.”
“You’re joking.” She stepped forward, desperation plastered all over her face. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’ll get another suite,” I interjected.
“That’s the other problem.” Kehlani’s grimace deepened.
Fuck me. “They’re fully booked. There aren’t any other rooms or suites available.”
I stared at her, a muscle twitching in my temple.
“It’s fine,” Amala said. “I’ll just go to another hotel.”
I side-eyed her, but only for a few seconds. I didn’t trust myself to look at her for much longer than that.
“What?” Gabriella frowned, grabbing her friend’s arm. “Amala, that’s insane.”
“My sentiment exactly,” Kehlani said sternly.
Of course, Nicolas and Kayden were nowhere to be found. They’d chosen this exact moment to be chivalrous and collect everyone’s luggage, leaving the rest of us to deal with this bullshit.
“I don’t mind sharing a room with you,” Kehlani offered. “Kayden and Ares can share a room if that’s okay with both of you.”
I nodded.
Of course, the bane of my existence opened her mouth.
“No. You’re married, and it’s your anniversary. I wouldn’t expect you to do that.”
Amala would rather die than stop being stubborn and hard-headed.
“Okay, then we’ll share a room, and Ares can share with Nico,” Gabriella suggested. “You’re not going to another hotel, though. Would that arrangement work for you?”
“I don’t mind.” I shrugged.
“Don’t listen to him.” Amala shook her head, and I sighed, sliding my hands deeper into my pockets. “Both of you came here with your partners. Seriously, I don’t mind going to another hotel. It’s only a few minutes away.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
All three women turned to look at me, but only one of those gazes set my skin ablaze.
“There should be couches in the suites, right?”
Kehlani nodded.
Before Amala could protest, I cut her off.
“Then it’s settled. Amala takes the bed, and I’ll take the couch.”
I said it as nonchalantly as possible, as though sharing a suite with the woman who had spent years getting under my skin was the most reasonable solution in the world.
The weather in Vista could only be described as oppressive. The heat was relentless, the kind that left you sweating after only a few minutes beneath the sun.
Yet Amala’s stare could have frozen the entire hotel.
Her glacial gaze swept over me, sending a chill down my spine despite the sweltering heat surrounding us.
“Are you sure?” Kehlani asked. Using that empathetic tone of voice.
I nodded before Amala could get another word in.
“Absolutely.”
“Thank goodness that’s sorted.” She smiled brightly. “I’ll get the keys.”
The second she disappeared, Amala stepped closer.
“If we didn’t have witnesses, I would’ve dragged you across this hotel floor.”
Her voice was low enough that Gabriella couldn’t overhear us, but every word reached me perfectly.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“You were overcomplicating the situation.”
“Overcomplicating?”
She smiled menacingly, her teeth clenched.
“I’m living in hell. That’s the only explanation.”
She muttered the last part more to herself than to me.
“Don’t be dramatic.” I shook my head. “We’ll spend most of the weekend with our friends, and at night, we’ll sleep. Separately.” I paused, making sure she understood. “It’s one weekend. You’ll survive.”
The last sentence came out harsher than I intended, but judging by the look she gave me, perhaps that was for the best.
Then her perfume reached me.
Fresh.
Sweet.
Subtle enough that I shouldn’t have noticed it but I did.
My throat tightened, and I cleared it before taking an instinctive step backward.
Amala stared at me for another moment before turning on her heel and rejoining her friends without another word.
I watched her walk away, but the scent of her perfume remained.
It lingered around me long after she was gone, clinging to the air like an unwanted reminder of the mistake I’d just made.
I told myself it was only a weekend.
One weekend.
Three days.
I could survive three days with Amala Rivera.
At least, that’s what I kept telling myself as I stood there wondering whether I’d just dug myself into a hole—or willingly buried myself in it.