A lie would only make it worse.
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I stared down at my thighs.
But how did she find out so quickly?Did someone record us and send it to her?Maybe … maybe her stepfather decided to rat me out to her.
If that’s what happened, then …
My gaze met Calix’s unreadable one.A flicker of something—maybe concern, maybe guilt—flashed in his eyes.I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew that he was the reason my best friend might never forgive me.
For a brief moment—to protect myself—the thought passed in my mind to tell him about his sister and his stepfather.But it quickly passed.Even if he did tell Diya, I couldn’t tell Calix about their relationship.I wasn’t that two-faced.
Who knew what Diya thought of me now though?
“You sure you’re good?”Frasier asked, more quietly this time.
But it didn’t matter because Cairo had already turned off the movie, and they all were staring at me intently, even Rush.
Frasier squeezed my thigh.“You’re shaking.”
“I’m fine,” I whispered, heart pounding inside my chest.
The phone buzzed again.
Diya: It’s important.
Oh God!No exclamation point.Just a straight period.Someone, kill me!
I stared at the screen, my mind racing.
Why did I think that I could hide this?!It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.She wasn’t supposed to find out.We were supposed to hook up once, maybe twice, and that would be that.
But no.I had to catch feelings.
Not only for Calix, but for all of these stupid guys.
My Read receipts were on for her, which meant that she could tell when I read her messages.I needed to come up with something quick, a distraction to give me a bit more time.Maybe I could feed into her thoughts about Cairo and me.
Me: I’m at Cairo’s.What’s up?
When my phone buzzed again, I quite literally jumped up from my seat.
“God, you’re so fucking dramatic,” Arch growled.“Turn the movie back on.”
“Give me the phone,” Frasier said.“Want me to respond to her?”
“No, no,” I said, shaking my head and deciding to ignore my stepbrother.“I’m fine.”
Another message.
Diya: When you’re done, come over.
Fuck, this was serious.My hands were clammy, and I desperately tried to figure out what I should do.Should I go now?Should I text back and ask what it was about?Or should I just wait and hope for the best?Ignore her maybe?
My gaze met Calix’s again, and he held out his hand for the phone.But I turned it over in my lap.What would I say if she confronted me?Apologize for fucking her brother?I didn’t regret it.I loved—love?!—the way he made me feel, the connection we had.
No, no, no, no.It couldn’t be love.
Another buzz.
