Page 61 of The Facade

I gulped.

“Good thing I don’t have plans to ever hurt her.”

“Yes, it is.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “Because if I had to choose between you and her, I’d have to pick her.”

Okay, so me having complicated feelings for my best friends’ sister was not going to be an issue at all, was it?

I guess I’d just have to show Carter that things would be different if I ever did get a chance to be with Cambrielle.

Because I had the feeling if she ever did want me back, it would be different with her. Longer than a weekend fling.

No, if anything did happen with her, I might just want it to last forever.

19

Cambrielle

A slow songstarted playing over the speakers after I’d been in the great hall for about ten minutes, and my friends all began pairing off.

Carter pulled Ava into his arms. Nash and Scarlett started doing the waltz together. And Hunter held out a hand to Elyse.

A tall senior girl wearing a 1980’s aerobic exercise costume walked up to Mack, asking him to dance. And since there was nothing more awkward than standing in the middle of the dance floor by yourself with couples dancing all around you, I started doing what I always did during slow dances and walked toward the dark corner nearby to wait the slow song out.

I was just a few steps away from my sanctuary when someone tapped me on my shoulder.

I frowned as I peeked over my shoulder, almost expecting Ben to be there hoping to earn extra points for his stupid dare, but instead I found Mack.

“H-hi?” I said, confused at why he wasn’t dancing with the senior girl right now.

“Why are you going to hide in the corner?”

“It’s better than standing there awkwardly and watching everyone dance.” I shrugged.

“Is that what you always do during slow songs?” He furrowed his brow, like he’d never heard of anyone doing such a thing.

Which made sense, I guess, since Mack had never not had a dance partner.

“It’s kind of my thing,” I said, hoping he’d just let it drop so I could go hide without having to explain to him that not all of us were in high demand the way he was.

He looked behind us, to where the rest of our friends were dancing. Then, pulling on my arm and guiding me even farther away from our friends, he said, “Would you be okay dancing this one dance with me?”

“You don’t need to feel obligated to ask me.” I glanced behind him at everyone else. “Just because the rest of our friends are dancing together doesn’t mean you have to ask me. I’m fine standing over here.”

“You think I’m asking you to dance out of obligation?” he asked.

“Kind of.” I shrugged. “I mean, isn’t that just how it works?”

“No,” he said. “At least, I’ve never seen things that way.”

“Then why do you keep looking over your shoulder at everyone like you’re worried they’d be upset you didn’t ask me to dance?”

“Oh that.” A guilty expression covered his face.

“Yeah that.”

“It’s not what you’re thinking,” he hurried to say. “I didn’t just follow you over here because I thought it was my duty, or as part of some unspoken friend pact.”

“Then what’s going on, Mack?” I crossed my arms, getting slightly frustrated that therewassomething going on besides him just asking me to dance.