Ten missed messages from Frasier and a handful of calls too.For someone I was just fake dating and for someone who had just been using me to make that pretty girl at the race jealous, he seemed a bit too worried.
Guilt settled heavily in my chest, but I decided not to text him back.
I had been using him, like he had been using me, and that was that.I had gotten what I wanted.
When my phone buzzed again, Calix peered over at me, halfway through putting on a shirt.“Who’s that?Diya?”
“Frasier.”
Calix clenched his jaw.“Why is he texting you?”
“Because I’m dating him.”
“Fakedating him.Tell him to fucking stop.”
“He’s your best friend.You tell him.”
“He’s texting you.”
“Well, maybe I don’t want him to stop texting me,” I said.
My eyes widened for a moment.Did I … did I really like Frasier like that?
God, my life is a mess.I was fake dating someone to make my best friend’s brother jealous, only to finally snag him and get jealous that the guy I had been fake dating had been using me to get with another girl.And maybe now I had feelings for both of them, but also Rush, and who could forget cute,innocentCairo?
What am I doing?!
“It doesn’t matter,” I said.“Get me out of here.”
After staring at me for a couple of moments, Calix drew his tongue across his teeth angrily and opened the door to look out into the hallway.A moment later, he shut it.“Diya is probably in the kitchen.I’ll distract her.Sneak down the stairs and get into my car.”
“Isn’t there another way?!”I whisper-yelled.
“No,” he said, then slipped out the door.
I gave the finger to the door and gathered my belongings.When I finally heard them spark up a conversation, I snuck out of Calix’s room and down the hallway, peeking my head around the corner of the door to the kitchen.
Diya’s back was turned toward me, and I quickly shuffled down the stairs before she could see me.Once I reached the foot of the stairs, I smacked hard into someone.My eyes widened, and I looked up to see Diya’s stepfather.
“What are you?—”
I slapped a hand over his mouth.“If you say anything to Diya about me being here, I will tell Calix about you and Diya sleeping together,” I said before I could stop myself.
His eyes widened, but he pressed his lips together and put up his arms in defense.Then I scurried out the back door and made a break for Calix’s car.
God, what am I getting myself into?
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
ASTRID
Calix droveme down another side road in Redwood.I leaned my back against the passenger seat, my mind lost in thoughts of everything that had happened last night and this morning.Kissing Calix?Sneaking behind my best friend’s back?Almost getting caught?
It shouldn’t have given me the thrill that it did.
One of his hands was on the steering wheel, the other on the center console and dangerously close to my thigh.We had been driving for at least twenty minutes.I should’ve been home by now.But it seemed like Calix didn’t want to bring me home either.
Crazy how one night could change everything.
