Page 304 of Hateful Games

“What?” I snap.

They stand, pushing back their chairs.

“With us,” orders Bianca.

Iris signals toward the corridor up ahead. “Now, please.”

Shrugging, I rise and follow them with my dessert in hand. Who knows how long they’re going to take?

No sooner are we alone, they face me with arms crossed, expressions sealed shut.

Bianca speaks, “When?”

“When what?”

“When did you fall in love with Nova?” snaps Iris in disbelief.

I blink, mouth agape. My heart pitter-pattering behind my ribs. I shake my head, stammering, “I’m not. What are you two talking about?”

Iris steps forward and aims for the tiramisu. I slap her hand. “What is it with you and my food?”

“This!” She waves her finger. “Where was this attitude a second ago?”

“You willingly shared food.” Bianca pronounces every word slowly. “With Nova.”

“Either you’re our best friend Rosa’s doppelgänger,” says Iris. “Or you love Nova. It’s the only explanation.”

“Have you both gone mental?” I throw up my free hand, laughing. Placing the dessert on a nearby empty table, I huff, “That tells you nothing. I shared a simple bite.”

“For someone who writes romance for a living, you’re seriously clueless and in denial,” scoffs Bianca.

“Since Vegas, you haven’t once texted us about how much he’s annoying you. Or making you want to throttle him.”

I digest Iris’s claims… and they’re true.

Bianca softly urges, “Stop lying to yourself, Ro.”

I glance away, a war bubbling inside me. Between my head and my heart. When they both whisper my name, everything I’ve been holding in spills into the air.

Raw.

Unguarded.

Broken.

“I’ve never been in love. How do I know that what my feeling is not just my hormones going haywire? Or Stockholm syndrome? He’s the only man I’ve ever been with. He’s my first in every way. My first crush, obsession, boyfriend, and if I name this ball of emotions inside me every time he’s near, it won’t be long before he becomes my first heartbreak too.” My voice turns hoarse and eyes burn as I stare at my best friends and whisper, “I’ve spent almost half my life hating him and the last few months trying not to let him in, I’m scared of everything he makes me feel—of losing him. Most of all, hurting him.”

Bianca and Iris cross the distance and hug me tight.

I lean on them.

“I don’t even know if he feels the same way, Bee,” I admit. “I don’t think I’m ready to be that vulnerable. All of this is too fast. Too intense. We’ve only just gotten along. I don’t want to rush.”

“That’s understandable,” murmurs Iris.

“Just don’t keep all of this inside, Ro,” says Bianca. “Talk to us. We’re here for you.”

“I know and I love you both for that.”

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