Page 59 of Shattered

“I was going to the next time I saw you, which is now. Obviously.”

“Right,” she responds, sarcasm thick in her voice. “Well, I’m glad either way.”

“Are you?” he asks skeptically.

“Of course. I kept telling you to do it.”

A sliver of guilt about keeping our friendship quiet tries to poke its way in as I listen to them, but I force it away, trying to tell myself that it’s for the best right now. Besides, if we’re friendly toward each other here, then it won’t be as strange or hard to accept that we’re friends later.

“Your mom must be over the moon about being a grandma,” Kate continues, this time pulling my complete attention. “She probably spoils him.”

If only.

I force a smile along with a hum. My parents never visit us in the city. It’s always up to me to arrange to see them, and it’s getting to the point where I don’t even want to do that anymore.

“Didn’t you say you made some apple pie, Mom?” Sienna asks, saving me from that subject. I had just told her a little more about it yesterday.

“I swear that’s the only way I can get you kids to visit.” Kate slaps her knees and pushes up from the couch. “Come on, then.”

“You shouldn’t swear, Mom,” Jason jokes, getting up to wrap an arm around her shoulder and walking her into the dining room. Keith follows, leaving Sienna and me to trail after them.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming here,” Sienna murmurs from the side of her mouth while grazing her fingers against mine.

“Neither did you.”

“Actually, I did.”

Oh. It must have been the message I swiped away.

Jason eyes us as we walk in together, either checking to see that we’re cool with each other or he already has some suspicions surfacing like he can’t help himself. I simply ignore it and take a seat next to him, with Sienna sitting opposite us.

The night passes with a few memories from our childhood being told by Kate and a few stories about Adi by me. The tension between Jason and his parents has long since passed, and any weirdness I felt about being here is no longer present. I have to admit, it’s really nice being around them all again. I thought I didn’t want anybody else in my life, but it turns out that I missed it.

Sienna and I steal glances often, and she sends small smiles my way when no one is looking, but otherwise, we try to avoid talking to each other directly.

Eventually, it’s time for me to go, and I thank Kate and Keith for their hospitality and the pie, promising to visit them another time with Adi. Sienna surprises me by getting to her feet as well, saying that she also has to leave because she’s tired.

I don’t make eye contact with her while we put our shoes on at the same time and she says goodbye to her parents. But I can sense her every movement and smell the seductive scent of her perfume: flowers and sunshine.

“I’ll text you tomorrow,” I tell Jason.

“Sounds good.” He slaps me on the back, thankfully not looking like he finds us leaving together suspicious.

We keep a healthy distance as we walk the path from their front door, and since we’re both parked farther down the street, we continue walking down the sidewalk together.

Once we’re away from the house and hidden by some of the neighbors’ bushes and trees, I finally speak up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see your message.”

Her lips lift as she glances up at me. “That’s okay. It seemed to go all right. Although, I would have preferred not to act like I haven’t been texting you all day.”

“Do you honestly think we’ll ever be able to act as if we’re friends in front of him?”

“Honestly?” She sighs. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

We walk a few more steps, and my eyes are drawn back to the dress she’s wearing. It’s sexy as shit, and I’ve had a hard time ignoring it tonight.

“I like your dress.”

The compliment comes out before I’ve thought it through, and before I’ve thought about whether it’s appropriate or not. I guess our constant communication has made it easier to admit these things.

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