Hell, I want to feel pretty.
But that’s never gotten me anywhere but hurt.
“Bye, Ash,” Sage says over her shoulder, giving Ash a soft wave before slipping out of the door. I wait a beat to follow her, giving myself the chance to share a smile with Ash, who is grinning from ear to ear as he watches Sage’s ass all the way down the steps.
“Your tongue is going to dry and fall out of your mouth.” I give the door a slap before stepping out.
I can hear his feet stomping after me, whispering my name under his breath until I spin around.
“What?” I ask, barely out of the door.
“Make me sound good when you guys are talking about me, yeah?”
“And what makes you so sure we’re going to be talking about you? Huh?” I retort, hand on my cocked hip as I watch his smile only grow larger.
“Awe, Amira. You’re so cute.” Giving me a pat on the head, he shuts the door in my face, the click of the lock ending our conversation.
“All set?” Sage asks once I hop into her truck.
“Yeah, sorry if I took too long,” I say, buckling myself in quickly because the engine is running. I don’t want to waste her time by making her wait any longer.
“Oh, don’t apologize at all. I guarantee Eden probably hasn’t even started getting ready.”
I want to ask who Eden is, find out every detail I can before having to meet her so I can prepare myself for whatever kind of person she is, but the last thing I need is for Sage to think I’m a neurotic weirdo, so I stay silent and enjoy the ride.
“So, we have about forty-five minutes… maybe an hour if we hit traffic since we’re going all the way to Red Pointe. It’s worth it for the little café we're going to, though. You’re going to love it!” She fiddles with the radio before giving up completely, opting to plug in her phone and play her own music.
“So, um, will your friend mind that I tagged along? I don’t want to intrude.”
It’s a little late now.
“Oh, no! Absolutely not. Eden… Eden likes people more than most. And I have no doubt that she’ll take a strong liking to you,” she says, something teasing in her tone that I can’t quite place, but whatever it is, it causes me to shift uncomfortably in my seat, wishing suddenly that I stayed home.
“Soooo,” Sage starts, her words coming out hesitant. Fearful. “How are you? I feel like we haven’t really talked since… You know.”
That one fateful night that we don’t need to be talking about.
“I’m okay,” I lie. It’s easier to lie to Sage than it is to Roman. I don’t owe Sage anything, but Roman? He saved my life.
But did he really?
I shake that thought away and focus on the topic at hand, trying to figure out a way to steer our conversation elsewhere, but Sage isn’t having it, asking me another question I don’t want to answer.
“What happened, Amira? I knew your mom… she was like a substitute mother to me, and the shit I saw that night… it fucking haunts me, Amira. I need… please. What happened?”
“Is this why you invited me to come with you? So you can pick at my mind and uncover all my fucking secrets?” I ask, reaching for the door handle before remembering that I’m trapped in a moving vehicle, going eighty miles per hour on a packed freeway.
“No! No! Of course not! I really want to get to know you. I feel like… Adrianna talked about you so much. You literally were the only thing on her mind, and I felt like I knew you. And then all that craziness happened, and Adrianna was gone, butyou’re here. She wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone, and I-I don’t want you to be alone. But I just want to understand what I was a witness to that night. I witnessed acrime, Amira. You, Roman, and Ash set a house on fire! Adrianna was dea—gone, and I… please.”
Her pleading grates on my nerves, but I understand. I’m close to opening the article I have saved on my phone and letting her read the details of the report. But for once, I want to control the narrative.
I want the story to come out of my mouth because it happened to me!
“Do you know what happened to my mom, Sage? Do you know what happened tome?” I ask, digging my nails into the palms of my hands to keep myself from snapping at her.
“No… I don’t,” she whispers, confusion and dread taking over her expression. “I’ve been dying to know since that night, but it never felt right to ask. Ash explained to me very vaguely on the drive to your hometown what was going on.”
“And what did he say?”
