I grab a frozen bag of peas from my freezer, and I stalk out into the cool night air. I slide the door open, and Nick is sitting on the couch with his laptop. He doesn’t even look up at me as I walk over.
“Here,” I say, a little too harshly. I drop the peas on the glass coffee table, and they make a loud noise, startling him. He just stares at the white bag, and then his eyes come up to meet mine.
“I already fixed it,” he says, and he raises his hand. White bandages cover his knuckles. “Thanks, though,” he says indifferently, and his eyes go back to his screen.
I put my hands on my hips and wait for him to say something else.
He doesn’t.
“Why’d you punch Dan?”
The words are out of my mouth before I realize that I’m saying them. He tenses, and now I know for sure. He didn’t expect me to see Dan. He didn’t want me to know, for whatever reason.
My question seems to have caught him off guard. He closes his laptop and looks at me curiously.
“I didn’t,” he says simply, and he stares down at his knuckles. “Just ran into the busboy, like I told you before.”
“Do you think I’m stupid, Nicholas Wilder?”
“No, of course not,” he replies sheepishly.
“Good. Then don’t ever lie to me again.”
I turn around and walk out before he has a chance to reply.
As I walk back to my door, I feel my eyes sting with tears.
Twenty.
Nick
There was no way I was going to let Dan get away with saying that to Evianna.
Of course I was going to punch the bastard.
Only, Evianna wasn’t supposed to know…
I stare at the sliding glass door, waiting for her to come back. She just yelled at me, and of course I feel awful now. I stand up and pace around the room.
I should go talk to her.
No.
I’m afraid of what I might admit. I haven’t even admitted it to myself yet, but it’s beginning to feel unavoidable. I feel so much around her, and all I want to do is grab her and kiss her. I should not feel that way about somebody that I employ.
I should go talk to her, though. Any decent human being would’ve done the same thing as me, and it in no way is a reflection of my growing feelings for her.
I walk over to the foyer and stare out of the window. That’s when I see an unfamiliar car pull into the driveway. Must be Violet. It idles for a minute, and I squint my eyes. There are two people seated, talking.
Did Evianna invite them?
I see the person from the driver’s side get out and walk to the gate.
Shit!
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
Twentyone.
Evianna
I text Violet.
PLEASE COME OVER ASAP!!!!!!!
I don’t wait for a response—I know she’ll be over in less than twenty minutes. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. I change quickly, pulling on an old pair of sweats and one of Elijah’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirts. I make a mental note to call him tomorrow. I miss him.
When I’m done taking my makeup off, I hear a soft knock on my door. I run over and go to open it. I have so much to tell Violet.
Shock does not even begin to describe the feeling of seeing the person on the other side of the door.
Dan is standing there, looking forlorn. His left eye is swollen shut, and he walks in before I can close the door in his face, which is what I want to do.
“What the hell are you doing here, Dan?” I hiss as quietly as possible.
I shut the door quickly. God, I hope Nick doesn’t see him. I immediately feel guilty. I’m breaking the rules. Better yet, it feels like I’m cheating on Nick, which is so weird to even think, but I feel it nonetheless.
“Calm down. Mia’s in the car out front. I just wanted to come by really quick and apologize.” I cross my arms and glare at him. He continues. “For everything.”
“Okay...” I say, annoyed. “How’d you know where I lived?”
“I Googled it.”