Page 138 of Pretty Little Lies

Vivian laughs, fake as fuck, explaining to her cronies that it’s being resized and that it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.

Meanwhile, I return my focus to the room, only to fall back on Bay and Reeve again. He’s taken her cup, looping his arm with hers.

And they’re coming this way.

I should steer Vivian away, but I’m so over this bitch I could scream like one with all the text messages, late-night phone calls, the dinners she wants me to attend with her family and the loads upon loads of bullshit that she believes I should entertain because of her delusional dreams of becoming husband and wife.

She thinks the Forsaken Crew is going to lob in money for her shopping and mansion that she’s claimed for us to have after our joined nuptials, but there’s no mansion, no kids, no happily ever after, no shit after this.

“Brother,” Reeve calls out, bringing Bay right into the snake’s nest but giving zero shits or fucks about it. “You look like you could use a drink.”

Vivian stiffens at my side, but I ignore it. “I could.”

“Let’s go get?—”

“We were talking about wedding plans,” Vivian cuts in, steering her hard focus to the other woman at hand. “This is import?—”

“Were you invited here?” Reeve cuts in with knitted brows. “I don’t remember you being on the guest list and, furthermore, this isn’t the time nor place. However, itisthe time for Cairo to get fucked up on his birthday that doesn’t involve one of your primly picked dinners.”

“It was a nice dinner at averynice restaurant,” Vivian counters sharply. “Only the best for my future husband.”

Reeve smiles at her, sinister and dry. “Damn, Viv…if that were true, you’re really gonna get upset with the bachelor party. Torin and I would have so much shit planned, it’d make a grown man blush.”

Vivian glowers at him. “Don’t youdarebring strippers.”

Reeve shakes his head. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I’d be bringin’ in some Forsaken Crew groupies. Let him get one last good fuck out of him before he’s celibate for however long it takes to get rid of you.”

I notice Bay’s fingers lace with my best friend’s, silently telling him to lay off before her blues cut over to mine.

I can’t help but glare at her for no reason at all other than I can’t do what Torin and Reeve are currently doing, which is touching her whenever they want.

It’s jealously, I know it is.

However, it doesn’t stop the cold hard facts of what I can and can’t do.

Someone has to be level-headed about what’s going on, and if she could still be a potential threat to us all. Emilio has seemed to give her space that she’s appreciating and she’s using it to spend time with the guys. And you know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer…

“Let’s go, Cairo,” Vivian orders. “Your friend’s mouth is crude and disgusting.”

“He’s going to grab a drink with me,” Reeve counters without any argument. “You can fuck off here with your friends and pretend that he gives a shit about you like you’ve been doing for years.”

Vivian’s dark ebbs fall on Bay. “Why so you can getherinvolved?”

“She’s with me,” Reeve replies, even though he doesn’t need to. “She’smine.”

My brow furrows when Reeve’s attention flicks to me, and it poses no question about what he just said.

He’s seeing Bay and that’s it.

“I’m not looking to get into your life,” Bay tries to reassure her. “I’m with him.”

And now that she’s confirmed it, my skin begins to irritably prick.

Vivian’s unamused expression falls down the length of Bay, because she considers her a whore and nothing else. Just because she shows off some of her body, Vivian judged her before she even spoke to her at Torin’s improv basketball game.

I glance down at my watch. He should be back from one of those any minute now. And he’s going to love the fact that Vivian showed up.

“I’m going to go wait—” Reeve clenches onto Bay’s hand, grounding her to her spot when she’s about to give us all some space.

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