When he stepped back, I took in the rest of him. He was wearing a tux that fit him nicely, and his eyes glowed next to the fire. “You too.”
I liked him, I really did, and it was impossible to hide. He smiled as if he could hear my thoughts, and a warmth spread over my chest followed quickly by a jolt of guilt. As if she had heard them too, I looked up to find Cecily staring in my direction. She and Kai had leftthe dance floor and were making their way toward the dining room. She gestured for me to follow, and I nodded.
“It’s been weird with Cecily,” I admitted, once they’d disappeared into the other room.
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to her,” Nate said, his face settling into a frown.
“She seems upset, and I’m worried it’s about you.” I felt my cheeks warm with frustration—I wanted him to share the guilt weighing over me, the fact that Cecily might never forgive what I’d done. I shook my head and walked away from him toward the dining room.
He followed. “Hey, wait.”
When we got to the dining room, I turned back to him. “This was a bad idea, you being here. We shouldn’t even be talking right now.”
“Then let’s tell her, get it over with.” He grabbed my hand and began guiding me toward the table where Cecily and Kai sat.
My heart fluttered with panic. “No. Wait—”
But it was too late. Nate had already called out her name.
—
My cheeks flamedas we sat down at the long dining table. I’d never wanted to disappear as badly as I did right then. Nate slid into the chair next to Cecily, who had Kai on her other shoulder and cozied up to her as I sank into the chair next to Daisy.
As Nate and Cecily spoke in hushed whispers, sweat accumulated on my back. I tried to calm myself:Relax, everything’s fine. Nate will tell her the truth, that we didn’t mean for this to happen, and—
“Is it true?” Cecily was staring at me. The air grew still around us, everyone’s conversations quieting.
I looked at her, my mouth open, and said nothing.
She stood, her chair skidding back with a screech. “Are you serious?”
More heads turned. Shocked inhales. She was standing over me as Nate stood behind her, trying to calm her down.
“Woah, just chill, all right? It’s not her fault,” Nate said, but I put up a hand. He was wrong, itwasmy fault.
I stood and forced myself to meet her eyes. She was furious. “Cecily. I—”
“Wow, Maya. How dare you—to think this whole time you’ve been hooking up with my ex behind my back.”
“I thought you ended things. That it wasn’t serious—”
“I can’t even look at you right now,” Cecily said, before knocking over my champagne. She swore under her breath and marched away.
I melted back down and dropped my face into my palms.
“Don’t worry about her,” Daisy said, moving to clean up the spilled drink. “She’ll get over it.”
“That went well,” Nate said sarcastically. He touched my arm, but I drew back and glared at him before storming away.
—
I found Cecilyoutside by the pool, dragging one hand across the water. She’d clearly been crying, and when she saw me approach, she turned her face away. I stood behind her awkwardly, looking down at my hands.
“I came to say…I’m sorry.” When she didn’t move, I cautiously sat down next to her, leaving a few feet between us. I tried to meet her eyes. “I should have told you.”
We sat in silence, steam peeling off the surface of the pool, currents whipping around us in the cold night air. I braced myself for her fury, but when she turned to me, all I saw was hurt. “I thought I could trust you.”
“I know.” I looked down, filled with shame. “And you can.”
