“It’s been known to happen,” I said lightly.
“Not frequently.”
“Fuck you, too.”
The corner of Nathan’s mouth tilted up. He was only a year older than me but enjoyed taking on the older and wiser than thou appearance. His black hair curtained green eyes and dark brows. The wind from the window blew at his collared shirt, revealing the top of a tattoo on his chest.
At a quick glance, he was the same cousin I had grown upwith: playing soccer in the backyard on sunny days, burning marshmallows by the fire in the winter, collecting bugs in jars to terrify Daphne. It wasn’t until I took a second look at him that I could recognize the ways he’d changed: less patience, more intimidation. Like he walked on a fine edge and could tip over at any point.
We were similar in the ways that mattered, but at times it was blatantly obvious we had taken different paths in life. I didn’t even understand what he did for a living. One hundred percent chance it was something with cybersecurity. Fifty percent chance it was illegal. All I knew was he spent a few years down on his luck, like me and Daphne, but recently, it made him a lot of money.
Nathan shifted his hands on the wheel. “Thanks for inviting me to be your plus-one, by the way.”
“Like you couldn’t easily afford a trip to Aruba,” I scoffed.
“Will Macey be there?”
Tension burned through my body, starting in the ankle that still bothered me and trailing all the way up into my jaw. “Macey?”
“The girl from the video,” he clarified. “I looked into her after admiring the way she tore into you.”
Nathan was a powerful guy, with a lot of resources at his disposal. I had no doubt that looking into her could mean much more than the typical Instagram stalking. Did he offer to drive me to the airport to try to get closer to her?
The question struck me without permission, visceral and uncomfortable. Then I remembered Nathan didn’t “do relationships.” The realization should calm me, but it only made me spiral more.
Was Macey a relationship-only kind of girl, or did she want something casual?
“Yes,” I answered.
“She’s pretty,” he remarked casually, turning on his blinker as we approached the airport. “Good for you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I can’t remember the last time you dated a girl,” he said. “Maybe you should take her out before someone else does.”
Someone else? Did Nathan know something I didn’t?
He pulled into a spot in front of the drop-off gate, and I readily pushed open the door. “It’s not like that.” I seethed as I pulled my bag out from the trunk.
Nathan winked, totally unbothered from the driver’s seat. “Sure it isn’t. Have fun in Aruba.”
I dropped off my luggage with the attendant outside and checked my texts.
Macey: I’ll be there in five.
Instead of heading inside the airport, I decided to wait for her outside. It might be full circle, to have a decent interaction outside the airport instead of a fight. As I waited, I scrolled through my email and skimmed the latest update from Opal Serenity.
We’re so excited to welcome you and your girlfriend, Macey, tonight! At reception, you’ll find…
I frantically reread the sentence.
Girlfriend.
No, no, no. This wasn’t happening. Macey and I weren’t dating. How did they even come to that conclusion when the only recent time we’d been seen in public together ended with an argument?
Maybe I could call the PR contact on the email and clear up the misunderstanding. I was sure she’d already spoken with Ezra?—
Fucking Ezra.
