We rounded a bend and I noticed the tree that Zeus had knocked down was standing tall again. I didn’t make mention of it. Were yesterday’s theatrics really necessary?
“Does this ‘he’ have a name?”
Demi glanced at the resurrected tree and rolled her eyes like she was just as annoyed as I was at Zeus’s antics.
“Of course he does.”
“And what is it?” I tried to coax it out of her, confused by her hesitation.
“It’s Jonas Foster,” she mumbled, barely loud enough for me to hear.
“TheJonas Foster? As in thePantheon ConfidentialJonas Foster?”
“Yeah, that’s him.” She picked up her pace, apparently hoping to outrun the conversation.
I matched her stride, intrigued. “Jonas is pretty hardcore,” I said casually. “The guy wrecked his own mom in one of his episodes.”
“Yeah, well, she deserved it—after what she did to his dad.”
“Allegedly did,” I offered, playing devil’s advocate.
She threw me a scathing glance. “Let me guess—you’re a fan of Discordia?”
“I wouldn’t say that. But Jonas strikes me as someone who thrives on discord almost as much as his mom.”
“He’s just trying to tell the truth,” she said, defending him with more heat than I’d expected.
And that’s when it hit me. Jonas was more than a friend. Or had been. I decided to press my luck. Probably not the best choice—but I went for it anyway.
“Were you or are you in love with Jonas?”
“Would I be here if that were the case?” she snapped.
“Fair point. But I’m getting more than friendly vibes here.”
I couldn’t help but goad her. Besides, I needed this kind of information for the show.
Maybe Jonas was the man she’d said she’d fallen in love with but refused to talk about.
“Well, you can keep your vibes to yourself.”
I’d definitely hit a nerve. And I’d keep that information in my back pocket—just in case.
“All right.” I backed off. My divine half warned me not to scare her off. He was desperate to know her. “So, what’s your favorite movie? Wait, let me guess. Is it10 Things I Hate About You? Or ten things you hate about me?” I pointed at my chest.
She cracked a smile. “Ha ha. You’re hilarious. I can think of more than ten things.”
She playfully nudged me with her shoulder. That quick touch had my Cupid coming to life and yearning for another touch from her. His longing almost had me forgetting she’d just admitted to hating more than ten things about me. The urge to take her in my arms was palpable.
I had to remind myself that all Demi and I could have was friendship. And even that was a dangerous proposition, given the risk it posed to my show. And maybe to me personally. The boy inside me still wanted the girl I kept catching glimpses of. And he was kicking himself for not having gotten to know her when he had the chance.
Which was probably why this fell out of my mouth: “I hope to change your mind about me. Maybe you’ll find some things you even like about me.”
Her smooth cheeks pinked. “Maybe. And by the way, I love to watchAll My Immortal Children. But if you ever tell anyone about that, I’ll have Cassie hex you.”
“Duly noted.” I grinned, happier than I should have been about the prospect of Cassie hexing me. But Demi had just shared a secret with me. She loved steamy soap operas. Who would have ever guessed?
It, along with her reluctance to talk about Jonas, told me something important—she hadn’t written off love. Not completely.
