“Yeah, Gareth, why did you use the bathroom up here?” I press, just making that connection.
“Yeah, man, I’m good. Just trying to survive your sister.” His eyes flick to me. “Your brother said the one downstairs is being remodeled.”
Ugh, I nearly forgot about that. I never use the windowless half-bath—gives me the creeps.
“Good luck with that,” he yells again.
“See.” Gareth grins. “Lucky.”
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head and turn back toward my room, retreating to my sanctuary. “We’ll see how long Dylan keeps you around. He changes his best friend faster than he changes his socks.”
But I actually hope this one sticks around a while.
“You’re exactly how I expected you to be, Indy Archer.Exactlyhow I thought.” He laughs, then starts heading toward the stairs.
My eyebrows smash together as I whip my head around to face him again, hair falling into my face with the sudden motion. “Oh, yeah? How?”
“Pretty hot,” he says easily, then quickly adds, “but also kinda mean.”
I choke on the comeback lodged in my throat. “Wow. Okay?”
Then he winks—actuallywinks—and my brain turns off.
No thoughts, no nothing.
Just off.
It’s the first time a boy hasevermade me speechless.
When I don’t respond, he says, “I’ll see you around,” then turns away like what he said two seconds ago didn’t turn me into the dumbest person on the planet.
Thankfully, I snap out of it pretty quick. “You won’t,” I scoff. “I wasn’t kidding when I said Dylan flies through best friends. Don’t get too attached to your new BFF.”
Stopping at the top of the stairs, he looks back at me and shrugs. “We’ll see. I’ve got a pretty good feeling about our friendship.”
Picking at my cuticle, I shrug nonchalantly. “You’re pretty optimistic.”
Gareth grins, confidence in full force. “I wasn’t just talking about Dylan.”
Then he disappears down the stairs like nothing happened. And I stand in my doorway for a few more seconds with my heart fluttering against my ribs, just in case he comes back.
CHAPTER FIVE
I lied.
Lied to Dylan. Lied to Gareth.
Zach doesn’t exist.
Well, he does—he’s the club’s newest prospect—but I barely know the guy.
A few weeks ago, I was forced to improvise when Dylan intercepted an incoming message from Gareth on my phone, immediately demanding to know whyhisfriend was texting me. Even though Gareth and I grew up friends too, Dylan never fully accepted that Gareth cared about the both of us.
I love my brother, but he has the tendency to be immature, and his friendship with Gareth has always been a sore subject between us. A constant thorn in his side.
So I lied to him. It flowed easily from my lips, reiterating that there wasnothingbetween us, and I actually had a new boyfriend named Zach.
I knew what would follow—he wouldn’t waste a minute before relaying that nugget of information to his best friend, and yet again, I chose to protect my brother’s ego instead of my own heart.
