“End of last year,” I said quietly. “Couple months.”
She stared at me like I’d grown another head. “Couple months?” she repeated. “Right. So after I gave him his ring back. Good to know y’all didn’t waste any time.”
“I would never do that to you, Simone. Fall out or not, you were one of my closest friends.” My words rushed out before I could stop them. “It wasn’t like that?—”
“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes. “Y’all stayed together, always too close. Those stupid ass inside jokes. You really want me to believe nothing was brewing while I was picking out my damn wedding dress?”
“That’s not fair,” I whispered. “You knew what our friendship was before you ever went out on a date with him. You thought it was cute until you thought you could boot me out of his life.”
“Whatever. Congrats. You got what you always swore you didn’t want.”
“That’s not—” I started, but she cut me off with a small shake of her head.
“And for the record?” she added. “You not here by accident. I put your name on that shortlist. Sat in that meeting and said, ‘I know this girl. Her page would eat for this.’ Thought it would be cute. Maybe extend an olive branch. Thought maybe we could reconnect.” Her eyes swept over me, then down the patio. “Guess the jokes on me.”
Guilt burned hot in my chest. I wanted to tell her this was all fake, but I couldn’t. For one, she probably wouldn’t believe me anyway, and if she did, she’d probably have us thrown off this trip so damn fast.
“Simone, I . . . I’m sorry,” I said, the words barely making it out. “I didn’t know you were gonna be here. I didn’t plan any of this to hurt you.” I tried to walk away, but her fingers snapped around my forearm, not hard enough to hurt, just enough to pin me there.
“Just answer me this. When you was telling me ‘that’s my brother, we just friends,’ was his dick already down your throat?”
“I’m not . . .” I shook my head. “I’m not dignifying that with an answer. I’m sorry you had to find out like this.”
“Sorry? You’re sorry alright. A sorry ass friend and human being.”
Before I could respond, a warm hand slid across my back.
“Let her go,” Hasheem said. He didn’t raise his voice, but it sliced clean through the air. Simone’s hand dropped from my arm like she’d been caught. He stepped in close enough that his chest brushed my shoulder, and his palm found the small of my back.
“You good?” he asked me first, eyes on my face.
I nodded, even though my heart was damn near beating out of my chest. “Yeah. I’m . . . fine.”
His gaze flicked toward Simone.
“Whatever y’all gotta talk about, that’s between y’all. But you not grabbing her up in no hallway while I’m here. That’s dead,” he said calmly.
“Nobody grabbed her,” Simone muttered, but she wasn’t looking at him anymore. “She lucky I’m not dragging her across Zanzibar.”
“And risk your job and an ass whupping?” he questioned. “I don’t think you’re that crazy.” He didn’t wait for her to answer, just turned back to me. “You ready to slide?” he asked, and every muscle in my body exhaled at once.
“I got enough content for tonight. My followers do not need to see me cry in 4K.”
“Say less. Grab your phone. I’ma tell Tiana and Malik we tapping out . . . jet lag and all that.” A smile tugged at his mouth. He laced our fingers together like it was the most natural thing in the world and started walking us back toward the ballroomdoors. I could feel Simone’s eyes on the back of my neck the whole way. I didn’t look back.
Leaving the mixer early should’ve felt like relief, but heading toward our room with his hand wrapped around mine and the ghost of his body still pressed against me from that slow dance? All it felt like was stepping deeper into something I had no business wanting.
By the timewe made it back to the room, Harlowe was already on ten. She still had the drink she insisted on getting on the way out in her hand.
“This is insane,” she said as she paced a damn hole in the floor. “Like, actually insane. Simone really just cornered me. She thinks I lied to her face about my feelings for you, and I can’t blame her because I am out here in Africa on a couple’s trip . . . with you!”
“Harlowe.” She was talking so damn fast I could barely make out what she was saying.
“She called me a backstabber. Said we must’ve been fucking around when y’all was together. Can you believe that?”
“Harlowe!” I called again, but she kept pacing and rambling.
“I brought her into our friend group, and she thinks I was fucking you the whole time. Is she for real?”
