I gently open the door, careful not to waken Leah. It shouldn’t surprise me; she’s sitting in the dark, waiting for me.
“You little harlot!” Her voice is extra high.
“Were you spying on me?” I turn and flip on the light switch. She is wearing her silk shorts pajamas and has Adam’s surveillance binoculars in her hand.
“They have night vision. I was just on the veranda watching you and hottie McHottness hooking up!” She leaps onto the bed and starts jumping up and down.
I’m not going to lie; it’s the exact reaction my heart had when he first kissed me. I jump on the bed with her and start bouncing up and down. It’s against my usual persona but fuck that sad girl. I used to be happy and silly. Today was a good day. No, today was a great day, and I want to enjoy it a little longer.
Leah plops on the bed Indian style and pulls me down to sit next to her. My dress rides up but not enough that Leah would care. Part of me wants to tell her everything. I want to replay every touch, every smile, every word—but I can’t. Asher is as private a person as I am. To tell her anything would violate a bond we formed tonight. Even if it was just for tonight.
“I’m glad to see you happy.”
“Thanks. It feels good,” I say, surprising myself.
“Adam is all kinds of pissed at me,” she says, her mouth cocked to the side.
I laugh at the thought of Adam being upset with Leah until the look on her face lets me know she’s serious. “Wait. Why is Adam mad at you?”
“He called and I was so excited about your date I told him the whole story. I told him about the yacht the other day and your boat tour yesterday and now your date tonight. He. Was. Pissed.”
“When you asked him to wire money you didn’t tell him the whole story?”
“No. I left out the part about us following a giant to his massive boat. Thought it was wiser for all parties. I got so excited about you going out that I thought he’d appreciate the story. Instead he lectured me on how careless we were. It got ugly.” Leah shakes her body, like a shiver. “Ahh, bad karma, bad thoughts. Forget that nonsense. He’ll be fine tomorrow. Because, you’re fine. Right?” Her brows rise.
I give her a wide smile. “Yes, very fine. And I’m seeing him again tomorrow. Actually, we are both seeing him. He invited us somewhere, unless, of course, you don’t want to go.” My offer is two-sided. It’s genuine because Leah means the world to me. But deep down, I will be crushed if she says no. I really want to see Asher again but tomorrow is Luke’s birthday and we girls should be together.
“You’re seeing him again?” Her voice heightens in surprise.
“You don’t think it’s a good idea? I can cancel—”
“No,” she says quickly. “That’s awesome. It’ll be awesome. I’m coming, too, so what could go wrong?” She hops off the bed, planning her outfit for tomorrow’s excursion, and I thank God for her love of adventure. I’m going to need her on this one.
chapter NINE
I can’t believe Leah is sick. Like, honest-to-goodness sick. This morning she woke up with some sort of food poisoning slash stomach bug slash I don’t know what.
At first, I thought this was her way of getting me alone with Asher again. Last night, she was crazy excited about what he might have planned for us. She loves surprises. And she didn’t seem to mind that we’d be spending Luke’s birthday with a stranger, and she didn’t seem too concerned with what Adam might say about our hanging out with him.
Then when she woke up she started grumbling about how she doesn’t feel good. But this is Leah we’re talking about: she has lied in the past about being sick.
I now know she is not lying. She is locked inside the bathroom and the sounds coming from that room are far from human.
“Go without me. There is no reason why you should be cooped up in this room all day too.” Her words are strained and breathy.
“What if something happens to you while I’m gone? You don’t sound so good in there,” I say to her through the bathroom door.
I hear the sound of a toilet flush and then running water. I step back when I hear the click of the door being unlocked. Leah opens it. Her hair is a disheveled mess and her eyes are bloodshot.
“I feel much better. I promise you I’m not going to die while you’re out today.” She is padding her way to the bed. Leah is most definitely out of it. She would never make a death comment around me on an ordinary day.
She climbs back into bed and falls against the pillow. “Spend the day with your boy. I’ll park myself by the pool later on.”
I’m already dressed in white shorts and a canary-colored V-neck, fitted T-shirt; my gold shoes from Asher garnishing my feet. “I feel terrible your vacation is ruined. I’m not leaving you alone to lay in bed alone.”
“Oh, yes you are. You are so going out and enjoying yourself. I’ll feel awful if you miss out on a gorgeous afternoon because of my sick ass.” She grabs the pillow next to her and stuffs it under the one already under her head. She sits up a little, elevated. “I’ll be in and out of that bathroom all day. You do not want to be here for that.”
I stand by her bed as I try to decide what I should do. I hate when people give you an option like this. Leah says go, but will she secretly resent me for leaving her alone? Will she throw it in my face later on that I ditched her when she was sick in Italy? Probably not. Leah’s not like that. But still.
