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Calla: I’m sure he can find better uses for his tie when it comes to using it on you

I blatantly ignore that suggestion and take a good long while brushing my teeth before I even bother picking my phone back up.

Calla: Anyway, what’s on the agenda today?

Lila: Dinner with the Mayfairs. Send prayers up to Fanny for me.

Serena: Ooooo, rich people theatrics. What’s on the menu?

Lila: We don’t even need a menu. We already know I’m about to dine on pure dysfunction.

Serena: Make sure to grab some wine. You’ll need it.

Lila: Oh, don’t worry. I’m fully prepared to drink through this entire meal.

Calla: Good girl.

Serena: Godspeed

5

COMPROMISED RECORD

LILA

The Mayfairs don’t do casual dinner. They’re all about the extravagant.

So when Theo steps out of the en-suite, looking like he just stepped off a GQ cover, wearing a charcoal grey suit that tapers perfectly down his thick frame, I nearly choke on my own spit. I have to fight to keep my mouth from falling open, hoping to Fanny that he didn’t notice the drool that escaped.

For the love of all things holy, I cannot let Serena and Calla find out about this.

When I regain my composure and face him again, Theo’s staring at me like I’ve just sprouted a second head. His eyes flicker between my eyes and my mouth, then dip lower.

“What, do I have something on my face?” I ask, half-joking, half-panicking.

He clears his throat, clearly caught off guard. “No. No. You’re, uh… put together. More than usual.”

I glance down at the dark blue dress I picked. It’s a form-fitting thing that’s meant to be elegant but currently feels like a bad decision in fabric form. Put together? More than usual? I look like a complete disaster, and he’s too polite to just say it.

Well, probably not too polite because Theo is not exactly polite, but maybe afraid to poke the bear?

“Should I change?” I ask, half-expecting him to tell me to throw on something less… whatever this is.

“Only, um, if you want to. Are you uncomfortable?”

Well, I wasn’t until now. Thanks, Theo.

I pause for a beat, letting the awkwardness settle in before I regain some semblance of confidence. If Theo is embarrassed to be seen with me because he thinks I look bad, then he can just deal with it. I happen to like this dress.

And, let’s be real, it’s the only one I brought that could even come close to passing for dinner appropriate tonight. Ugh.

I summon all the false bravado I can muster, straightening my shoulders. “I’m not uncomfortable. I think I look nice.”

Theo nods, a little too quickly, like he’s trying to convince himself. “Good. Great. Fine.”

But why does he seem so… bothered?

Oh my god.