I stop laughing when Amira speaks up. “Anything new in your life, Aoi? You seem more cheerful.”
A nervous chuckle escapes me as Sally sits back on her chair and stares at me, awaiting an answer. Amira tilts her head innocently, unaware of the hidden truth behind that question.
“Nothing new. Although I did go on a date with a younger man. Totally unexpected turn of events.”
Sally gasps. “Spill the tea. Now.”
I take a sip of my wine and stare at the liquid before bringing my gaze back to them. “His name is Andrew. Oddly so, he confessed his massive crush on me and asked me out.”
I omit his wealth and influential position because if they knew, they’d probably be more biased. I’d rather they built an opinion of him regardless of his background.
Amira blinks several times before she clears her throat. “You don’t usually go for younger men, though.”
“Yeah, and I still wouldn’t, but he’s really cute and dangerously handsome. You can tell I wasn’t thinking straight when I agreed to have dinner with him, but I don’t regret it yet.”
“Someone’s got a crush,” Sally taunts, wiggling her brows.
“Nah, it’s purely physical attraction. I think I’ve met him before though, and that’s got me really confused.”
Elena points her chopsticks at me with a raised brow. “How so?”
“The company organized a party to celebrate my decision to introduce my new book under my real name and reveal who Devon Reid actually is. And that evening I hooked up with a man whose face I can’t remember, but I suspect it may have been Andrew.”
Elena’s mouth hangs low, and Sally speaks instead of her. “First of all, congratulations on the big decision! We’re super proud of you and we’ll definitely celebrate that later. Secondly, how the fuck are these two related? I’m confused.”
I chuckle and poke her forehead. “The next morning Andrew came up to me in the hotel lobby, and best believe he acted way too friendly for it to be a mere coincidence.”
“But you’re not sure,” Amira adds. “Were you drunk?”
I groan and tug on the hair on my nape. “I wasn’t drunk, but I think someone slipped something in my drink that night. One thing led to another, and I ended up naked in a hotel room. Maybe the alcohol I drank mixed with my meds and created that sudden rush in me. Don’t know, don’t care. Also, I broke up with Rachel yesterday ‘cause this fake relationship was starting to get in the way. She was very understanding about it.”
“But technically you were still with her when you hooked up with that guy. She might be a bitch but still I didn’t peg you for a cheater, Aoi,” Elena chimes in. “That’s very disappointing coming from you.”
“Don’t call her a bitch. Rachel is really nice and funny, too. You’d like her if you actually spoke to her. She and I had an agreement. I was doing her a favor by dating her since she wanted to make her ex jealous, and she was a good cover against nosy people. So, no I didn’tcheaton her.”
Amira smiles gently from across the table and leans forward. “Aoi, let’s not brush over what happened to you, okay?”
“What do you mean?” I swallow a sip of wine. “Nothing happened. The sex was amazing.”
“You said someone might’ve spiked your drink. I think we should take that into consideration. If you’ve been drugged then this is a serious matter, you know?”
Sally slams her palm on the table, startling us. “We have to report it!”
“Why?”
“The fuck you mean ‘why’?” Elena demands more serious than ever. “This is a big deal.”
“What’s the point? It’s already been too long since the incident, and it could’ve been anyone. Besides, I’m not even sure if Iwasdrugged. As I said, it could’ve been my meds reacting to the alcohol. Besides, I threw myself at him, not the other way around.”
Elena frowns and crosses her arms over her chest. “This is so suspicious. I’m telling you that guy you went out with has to have something to do with this.”
I shake my head. “He didn’t strike me as malicious.”
“You’re too naive, Aoi. Stop trusting men so easily especially after you’ve just been drugged and assaulted,” Sally says, raising her voice at me. “Men are more dangerous than you think.”
“It wasn’t assault,” I correct.
“You were under the influence. You can’t consent when you’re on drugs, love,” Amira explains kindly but that only infuriates me.
