I felt embarrassed that I was eavesdropping, but I didn’t tell them I was there. I wanted to know what was being said.
“Exactly,”Bas replied. “Fuck’s sake, Myla. Harper is your cousin, and you’re treatin’ her like a fuckin’ leper.”
“I just think it’s funny,” Myla said, her tone indicating thatfunnywasn’t the right word “That you’re hooking up withmy cousin, then sleeping with Lou, and then disappearing to hook up with my cousin some more. If anyone’s the bad guy here, it’s fuckingyou.”
It took a moment for the words to register, but when they did, it felt like I’d been hit by a truck again. Panic, followed by confusion, followed by fury.
When the hell had Bas slept with Lou? Had it been before or after he’d assured me that there wasn’t anything between them? God, I’d flat-out asked him, and he’d said they were only friends. Had he been lying the entire time? I knew he hadn’t slept with her since we’d started sleeping together, so it had to have been before…but after the night of Brody’s party.
“Well,” I said, making my presence known. “That’s news to me.”
I didn’t even bother to look at Myla. She’d gotten caught up in the clusterfuck through no fault of her own, and hell, maybe I would’ve been acting the same way if I was caught between my cousin and best friend.
“It’s not like that,” Bas said, shooting a glare at Myla. “I told you it’s not like that.”
“Did you sleep with Lou after we kissed at Brody’s party?” I asked bluntly.
“In the same bed, yes—”
That was all I really needed to know. My cheeks burned with shame as I nodded, waving my hand to shut him up. I’d been really clear with him that I didn’t want to step into the middle of something. He’d assured me that I wasn’t.
Maybe our definitions were different, but the spirit was the same.
“I wasn’t trying to cause any drama,” I told Myla. “I fuckingaskedabout what was between him and Lou.”
She nodded, her face filled with remorse.
“Harp, it’s not what you’re thinkin’,” Bas said, stepping toward me.
“I don’t really care,” I replied flatly. I turned and walked away, half expecting him to follow. Out on the front porch, Nova and Rumi were saying their goodbyes.
“Hey, could you guys give me a ride home?” I asked, keeping my voice light.
Nova searched my face before nodding.
Once we were on the road, I asked them to take me to my grandparents’ house. My parents were expecting me to stay the night with Bas, and I was too stunned to deal with explaining why I was home. I’d text them and let them know I was staying at Gram’s for the night and deal with their questions tomorrow.
“You good?” Rumi asked after a few minutes. “I’ll take care of him if you want me to. It won’t be a surprise, he knew what would happen if he fucked up.”
I let out a bubble of laughter. “No murder necessary, you psycho.”
“He’d have to get in line, anyway,” Nova said, looking at me from the front seat.
I was pretty proud that I’d held it together the entire way to my grandparents’ house. I waved at Nova and Rumi as I stomped up the porch steps and knocked on the door before pushing the code and letting myself inside.
“Gram?” I called out. “It’s Harper!”
“I know who it is,” she said, coming out of the bathroom. “What are you doing here?”
“Can I stay the night?” I asked, dropping my purse on the floor.
“When have you ever needed to ask?” she replied. “There a reason you’re not going home?”
“Drama with Bas,” I explained with a sigh. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
She looked at me for a long moment. “All right. Grandpa’s at the club, so it’s just me and you until who knows when. You want some popcorn?”
“I’d kill for some popcorn,” I replied, my voice wobbling.
