“I was starting to freak out.” She stalked toward me, eyes narrowing to slits. “Where’s your phone?”
I held up the dead phone, my hand trembling slightly. “Battery gave up on life sometime after midnight.”
“Where. Have. You. Been?” She punctuated each word with a step closer. She was projecting anger, but I could see the worry in her eyes. “Did you stay with Owen?”
My heart stopped completely, flatlining.
“What? No… Why would you…”
“Because your last location was his apartment.” She stopped inches from me. “I checked when you didn’t answer.”
“Oh.”Shit. Shit. Shit.I was the world’s worst liar. My face was flushing hot, probably turning tomato-red. “I drove him home last night. He was really drunk, and I didn’t think I should leave him alone. So I crashed on his couch.” Technically not a lie. I had crashed. Just… not on the couch.
“Oh.” Her expression shifted to what looked like disappointment, as if she were hoping for a different answer. “Well, you should have texted.”
“Yeah, I didn’t plan on passing out for eight hours, sorry.”
I moved to my dresser, desperate to do anything with my hands that wasn’t incriminating, yanking open drawers like I had an actual plan.
“So, anything interesting happen while I was playing babysitter?”
Syn’s face lit up like I’d asked her favorite question in the entire world. She spun dramatically and flopped onto my bed,barely missing my purse. “Cam and Trystan were talking by the pool when I brought Jax home last night.”
“Talking ortalking?” I kept my back to her, afraid my face would give everything away.
“I don’t know, but this whole Trystan-Cam-Owen love triangle situation is getting absolutely ridiculous.” I glanced over my shoulder as she grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her. “Cam is obviously still in love with Trystan. Trystan is still in love with Cam, and then there’s Owen who...” She paused, frowning at the ceiling. “Honestly? I’m not even sure he’s into Cam like that.”
I yanked open my top drawer with more force than necessary, the wood scraping loudly in the quiet room. “What makes you say that?”
“There’s no spark. No chemistry. They look like they’d have the world’s most boring sex.” She said it so matter-of-factly, as if she were commenting on the weather. “Like missionary-with-the-lights-off sex.”
“That’s probably because they’re not having sex,” I said before my brain could stop my mouth.
“Wait, what?” Syn sat up so fast she nearly fell off the bed, the pillow tumbling to the floor. “How do you know that?”
My mind raced. “I mean... that’s my theory. Just a vibe I got.” I grabbed random clothes. “You know how some couples have that... lack of energy? Like, there’s no sexual tension? They have that.”
“That makessomuch sense.” She relaxed, crisis averted. “God, I hope they all put us out of our misery soon so Cam can get back with Trystan where she belongs.”
“You sure you’re not Team Trystan because he’s your brother?”
“I don’t take sides,” she said with mock offense as she placed her hand over her heart. “I consider Owen and Cam family. I’msimply following the facts, and it’s afactthat Cam and Trystan are endgame. Owen’s the odd man out.”
Guilt twisted in my stomach. “Yeah.”
“He’ll find his person eventually, but everyone knows it’s not Cam.”
It’s definitely not me either.I can’t even remember if he found my person parts.
“Anyway,” Syn continued, oblivious to my internal crisis, “we’re all leaving for the beach house this weekend, and I know that’s going to be a complete disaster if those three don’t figure their shit out first.”
“Well, I’m staying out of it.” That, at least, was the absolute truth. I couldn’t talk to Owen until he dealt with his situationship status, and since I had zero memory of last night, as far as I was concerned, it never happened. Denial was my new life strategy.
“So what’s the plan today?” I was desperate to change topics before she saw through me completely.
“No plans.” She stretched. “I’m recovering from last night.”
“Perfect. I’m showering and then sleeping until Tuesday.” Or possibly forever, if that was an option.
