Page 9 of A Little Secret

“Most people don’t.” I shrug and take another sip of my Diet Coke. “Usually, it’s not a big deal, but if I decide to drop to the ground and start convulsing, maybe call my brother.”

A surprised laugh slips out of her, and she shakes her head. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

I grin back at her. “You’re a peach.”

Looking at Ophelia, Raine hooks her thumb toward me. “Does she always talk this candidly?”

Ophelia leans closer and drops her voice as if we’re discussing conspiracy theories. “You have no idea. Speaking of which,”—she clears her throat and palms her glass, giving me a pointed look—“I’m ready for all the reasons why we hate Drew.”

And just like that, my amusement dissipates, and I stare at the caramel-colored liquid in my glass.

“Only I’m allowed to hate Drew,” I defend. “Because on the off-chance I don’t rip his balls off and decide to marry him, I still need you ladies to be my bridesmaids one day.”

“We’ll be your bridesmaids regardless of who the groom is,” Dylan chimes in. “Now, what happened?”

Digging through my purse, I take my phone out, unlock the screen, then slap it on the table. “A girl tagged him on Instagram.”

They all lean closer to look at the photo, but I don’t. I only stare at my glass, well aware of what they see.

Ophelia and Dylan share a grimace as Ophelia pushes the phone back to me.

“Did you ask him about it?” Dylan questions.

“Yes,” I huff. “He swears they’re only friends, and maybe they are, but…”

“But something feels wrong,” Raine finishes for me.

Swirling the straw in my drink, I nod slowly. “Yeah. And I don’t know if it’s in my head or if it’s real, but when Iasked if he wanted to take a break, he got pissed at me for even mentioning it, promising he loves me and only me, and he’s been nothing but loyal the entire time we’ve been together, and it would be nice if I could show some trust instead of freaking out over nothing.”

Ophelia gasps. “He said all that?”

“Yup.” I bring the straw to my lips and steal another long drink of Diet Coke.

Lia’s lips bunch as she watches me from across the table while Raine asks, “Do you believe him?”

It’s a good question. One I’ve asked myself a thousand times since hanging up the phone this morning, er, afternoon.

“Iwantto believe him,” I murmur, hating how much truth and vulnerability lie in the simple sentence. “I mean, he’s been busy, but I’ve been busy, too, you know? I’m not stupid. I know a relationship goes both ways.” I hesitate, and my face scrunches. “God, and then he accused me of having feelings for Griffin. Can you believe it? He said if I can post pictures of me and Griff, he should be able to post pictures of him and his”—I lift my hands and do air quotes—“friendwithout feeling like I’ll jump down his throat. And then, I’m like…yeah. He’s got a point, you know? I hate when he gets all weird and jealous whenever I talk about me and Griff, but we’ve been friends for forever, so it’s not like I can just…cut him out.”

“Is Drew asking you to cut my brother out of your life?” Dylan demands.

My expression falls, and I twirl the straw in my glass again, unable to meet Dylan’s gaze. I don’t want to disappoint her. I don’t want her to lose respect for me or Drew. I don’t want to deal with any of this, if I’m being honest. Griffin is her brother. Of course she’s going to be pissed at me for even considering Drew’s request. If Reeves, Dylan’sboyfriend, asked her to cut Everett off, I’d backhand him for being a controlling asshole. Yet, here I am, allowing Drew to do the exact same thing. “Maybe.”

“You can’t do that,” Dylan pushes. “You guys live together, he’s like family?—”

“I know.” I sigh, pick my phone up again, and check the screen despite my best intentions. Yup. There he is. Looking right as rain next to a girl who isn’t me. I set my phone back on the table, my stomach churning. “And I also know I’m done thinking about all of this. Someone take my phone. Actually, someone take all the phones.”

I push my cell into the center of the table, and the rest of the girls follow suit.

With a smile, Ophelia opens her clutch, confirms the phones are on silent, slips them inside, and closes it up. “There.”

“Thank you.” I smile at Ophelia and take a deep breath. “Now…what do you say we dance?”

I’m notsure how long it’s been since we walked onto the dance floor, but Ophelia and Dylan are bombed, and Raine looks pretty buzzed as well. Tipping her head back, she belts out the lyrics to the song blaring from the speakers, and I join in, singing at the top of my lungs. The words probably shouldn’t resonate as well as they do, but hey. At the moment, I hate guys as much as the next girl, so sue me. Clutching her stomach, Raine cackles at my dance moves when someone slips in behind her.

“Hey, pretty girl,” the stranger says.

“Yo,” I snap. “We’re having a girls’ night, can’t you tell? Now, get outta here!”

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