Page 53 of Deadly Secrets

“What did you just say?” Ander asked.

I hoped he hadn’t listened to what I blurted, but he clearly did. I could see in his eyes how his mind raced through different scenarios where that comment could easily fit until it all clicked. Suddenly, he rose from his seat, placed his cup on the coffee table, and abruptly exited the room.

“Well played, Zayn. Well fucking played,” Sienna retorted in response and trailed Ander.

I hadn’t done it intentionally, so much I could swear. My big mouth couldn’t help but blurt it all out after a few drinks despite having promised her, just a few hours ago, that I would keep the secret.

“Keep doing that, and I won’t even have to fight for her attention,” Noah said with a smirk plastered on his face.

Chapter 20. AN OLIVE BRANCH

(Ander)

I could hear her footsteps right behind me, but I didn’t stop until I was in my bedroom. I pushed the door shut, but she stopped it from closing with her hand. In an effort to avoid her gaze, I redirected my steps toward the window. It shouldn’t have affected me that much when Zayn clearly insinuated that they were both pursuing her. I didn’t want to read between the lines about the implications of those words. Did Sienna hook up with Zayn again? Was she sleeping with both of my friends? The mere thought made my blood boil, but I had no right to feel that way. She meant nothing to me—just an old friendship I had no desire to revive.

Liar.

And now, Zayn was offering her a place to stay in our apartment.

“Talk to me,” she whispered softly.

“I couldn’t care less. It’s your life, your decisions,” I replied dismissively.

“I do care about you, Ander. About us. I want us to be friends again. Please, talk to me,” she begged.

My mind was spiraling, my breathing becoming more frantic because as much as I wanted to lie to myself about my feelings for her, I fucking missed her, and I hadn’t even realized how much until I saw her at the freshmen’s party. She’d been a constant in my life until I was thirteen, my best friend. And now I wasn’t sure what she was. A part of me still harbored resentment toward her, holding on to the belief that she’d forgotten about us. Another part of me longed for her friendship, yet another piece of me craved something more than just being friends. That part of me scared me the most now that I knew she clearly had feelings for both Noah and Zayn.

I was lying to myself. I wasn’t this angry because of what happened with the letters. Now, I knew that our parents were the ones to blame. I was furious because I wanted her when I shouldn’t, a desire I couldn’t entertain. She was with Noah, and who knows what was going on between her and Zayn. Still, all I could think about every minute of every day was her. Her smile, her laugh, her eyes, the way my body burned every time I touched her skin.

“I feel there’s this huge gap, like a big abyss, between us, but I want to bridge it. I want to work bit by bit to be your friend again. Don’t you want that? Don’t you miss what we had?” she asked.

Her relentlessness was admirable. After how badly I had treated her for the past months, she still offered me an olive branch. She wanted our friendship back, and all I wanted was that and more. So much more.

I hesitated.

Could I be friends with her? Would I be able to put a stop to these feelings in check when all I wanted was to kiss her and feel her body beneath mine? She should have been my first time.

Who was I kidding? I couldn’t just be friends with her. She wasn’t mine, but I couldn’t stay away from her either. I wanted…No, I needed her back in my life. My life was worse when she wasn’t in it.

“Okay,” I said, turning around to look at her.

“Just like that? Okay?”

“Yes, I do miss our friendship.” I couldn’t deny her anymore. “But on one condition.” I was fully aware that I was stepping into deep waters, but I also knew that, as a friend, it was the best thing to do based on the circumstances. “You’ll move in with us until we catch the stalker.” Sienna’s eyes widened, clearly surprised by my request for her to stay with us. She looked like she was considering our offer, and I wished I knew what was going on in her mind.

She opened her mouth and closed it, hesitating for a few seconds before she finally said, “I’ll stay with you. But we start working on our friendship now.” I could feel an idea starting to take shape as soon as she threw a smile at me.

That fucking smile.

“I’ll pick a movie and we’ll watch it downstairs, like old times. But with Zayn and Noah.”

“Are you gonna make me watch Pride & Prejudice again? Why don’t you just tell me now that you hate me, and we’re done?” She laughed, and oh my…I had missed that laugh, particularly if I was the cause of it. I could see how she was already peeling back each one of the many layers that I’d built around me when she left New York.

“You secretly love that movie…don’t lie to me.”

It wasn’t the movie that I liked; it was what it represented, but I wasn’t gonna tell her that.

We spent the whole evening bingeing movies, starting with Pride & Prejudice, followed by The Devil Wears Prada. She was so engrossed in the TV screen that she barely noticed the occasional glances Noah, Zayn, and I exchanged. This girl had re-entered my life like a tornado, and all I could do was hope that she wouldn’t leave a trail of wreckage behind.

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