“Are you sexting?”
Tiana looked up and saw Brock who was standing in front of her. Less than a foot in front of her. He reached out and tilted her phone towards him.
She pulled it away from him and took a step back.
“You can’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Look at my phone. My life is none of your business. Leave me alone.”
He took another step forward. “What do you think you’re playing at? I know you’re not with Nicky. He’s not your type.”
She retreated once more. “My life is none of your business. Go away.”
“As long as I’m paying for it, itismy business.”
As soon as Niko had finished up with the Fostering the Future kids, he went down to find Tiana at the cider stand, but Ramona explained she’d gotten off about ten minutes earlier and he’d just missed her.
The last flirty text he’d sent her had basically outed himself as having been thinking about her for a long time. As soon as he pressed send, he began to second guess himself. Was that a step too far? Had he crossed a boundary? They weren’t actually in a relationship.
But that kiss. That kiss was seared into his DNA. It was real, whether their relationship was fake or not.
He checked his phone again and saw he still had no response. His thumbs were hovering over the screen to try and do some damage control as he headed down to the main stage where Karina was going to be singing before the tree lighting when he heard a familiar voice. He glanced over and saw Gianna, she was on the phone speaking to her sister Genevieve. He knew it was her sister because that’s whose voice he heard, they were on FaceTime.
“Fuck him, G. If he’s gonna act like that,fuck him.”
Niko’s first instinct was to assume they were speaking about him. Why wouldn’t he think that? But he quickly realized he was not thehimthey were referring to.
“He’s just stressed, he didn’t mean to?—”
“Do you hear yourself? I can’t believe you are making excuses for him. Who are you?”
“I have to go. L-Y-L.” Gianna and her sisters ended every call with L-Y-L, for love you lots.
She disconnected the phone, and Niko could tell she was breathing erratically, like she was about to have a panic attack. He wasn’t sure what to do in the situation he found himself in. He’d never seen or heard his ex sound so unlike herself. She wasn’t the sort of person who made excuses for behavior or cried hidden away on the side of the building, he would know since he would have been the person who would have benefited from that particular trait. She said what was on her mind, loudly, and, in Niko’s experience, up in the person’s face.
Niko knew it was none of his business, but what Tiana had said at the wedding was flashing in his mind like a neon sign. “I wish I could warn her.”
Warn her about what? He had no clue, but Tiana wasn’t dramatic or a crazy ex. She wouldn’t say that unless there was actually something to be warned about.
Niko was still trying to figure out what to say or do when G turned around. When she did, he saw that she’d been crying.
“G.” He took a step towards her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
There was only a split second of vulnerability before the shades were shut over the windows to her soul. Her mask was back in place. She wiped the two tears sliding down her cheek with the back of her hand. “I’m fine. Great.”
“I heard you,” he explained, “on the phone.”
She let out a huff of forced laughter and lifted the device. “You know, Genevieve, she’s a drama queen.”
“She is,” Niko agreed.
He wanted to push, wanted to make her tell him what exactly was upsetting her, but he knew it wasn’t his place.
Something changed in G’s face, like she realized something, and a panicked expression replaced her sadness. “I’ve gotta go find Brock, I’m supposed to meet him for the tree lighting.”
“I’m headed that way.”
