“I like happy endings,” I say. “On-screen ones. You know, watching them.”
Blair’s gaze sharpens. “What about off-screen? Do you get them in your life, too?”
“Blair.” Lily whispers her name like she’s prying too much.
I swirl the sangria in my glass, and the silence between us lingers in the air. They don’t push, they just wait. I’ve never had this before. The people who come into my life fall into two circles: the ones who don’t notice the seams, and the ones who rush to pull at them.
Blair and Lily are letting me decide.
The choice makes me feel dizzy.
I clear my throat and attempt to change the subject. “So. How many tragic board game deaths did Dallas cause last week besides yours?”
Lily groans dramatically, flopping back against the couch. “He bought hotels on all the orange properties and destroyed me.”
Blair lifts her glass. “Rest in peace, your savings.”
“It’s fine,” Lily says, sitting up again with a devious smile on her face. “I got my revenge when I made him try my new experimental muffins before they were ready.”
“What was wrong with them?”
“They were…dense.”
Blair chokes on a laugh. “That’s putting it mildly. They could’ve been used as building materials.”
“Perfect for Tucker,” I say with a laugh.
Blair’s eyes flicker at his name. Lily’s do too.
“Speaking of Tucker,” Lily says first. “I’m telling you this with love, but the entire town is talking about you two.”
My stomach bottoms out. “Talking about us, how?”
Blair scoffs. “How do you think? He’s the head contractor on your team, you two are workingveryclosely together all day, and you argue like it’s foreplay?—”
“Blair!” Lily cuts her off.
“And a few people saw you stay late at the bar after karaoke night,” Blair continues. “Someone even thought you two were already engaged by the way Tucker was looking at you.”
I turn and give Lily a knowing look, because she was thereason I was still there waiting for a ride, but she averts her gaze and tightens her lips. “To be fair, that same woman thinks anyone within six inches of each other is engaged. But still, people are noticing.”
“What exactly are they noticing?” I ask.
Blair sighs. “They’re noticing the same thing the producers noticed. The chemistry. The spark! And there’s no denying the way Tucker looks at you when he thinks no one is watching.”
My breath shudders, barely noticeable but enough to betray me. My brain is now doing backflips because, of course, they noticed. Of course,everyonenoticed. Tucker doesn’t exactly do subtle when he’s staring at me like I’m the only person in the room. I know the look everyone sees, I’ve felt it burn along my skin when the cameras weren’t rolling, and I’ve seen it soften behind closed doors when he’s done pretending.
But hearing them say it?
Hearing someone else notice it?
I shake my head, heat crawling up my neck. “I don’t…I mean, I’m not?—”
Lily holds up a hand. “I know you’re freaking out, but you should also know we’re thrilled about it.”
“For what it’s worth…” Blair starts, smiling, “Tucker’s different around you. Even before we knew any of this.”
“The only time both of us have ever been around you two together is that night at Seven Stools though.”
