Page 85 of The Ruse

“Of course.” He took it from me and hugged it to himself.

We looked at each other for another awkward second. Then he said, “I hope you have a great time in New York tomorrow.”

“Y-you do?” I asked, and my stomach fell with his words.

Was I disappointed that he was hoping I’d enjoy my date with Nash?

Shouldn’t Iwanthim to want me to have a great time?

That was what good friends did for each other, right? Hope for the best for each other.

“Well…” He looked away, as if debating what to say. Then he met my gaze again. “I’m hoping you’ll have a good time because you enjoy the musical and the magic of New York. I never said I wanted you to have a good time with Nash. I’m still too petty to think he deserves someone as great as you.”

And just like that, my chest warmed, and the world righted itself on its axis again.

Was I a terrible person for being relieved that his beef with Nash was still intact?

Had I turned into one of those girls who thrived on two guys fighting over her?

I might have. Because if Asher and Nash could just duke it out between themselves, I wouldn’t have to decide which guy I liked more and then possibly regret my decision.

They could make the decision for me.

Not that Asher was even interested in me like that…

I sighed. Hopefully, my date with Nash would make things clearer.

“Have a good night, Elyse,” Asher said, breaking me from my confusing thoughts. “I’ll tell Miss Crawley that we made it through the scene.”

“Th-thanks,” I managed to say.

It seemed like he was about to leave, but then he said, “And since I’m going to try to be the better man, if it’s what you want, I hope you have a great time with Nash as well.”

“Thank you,” I said, a huge wave of guilt crashing over me when I caught a glimpse of sadness in his dark eyes. “I hope you have a good day tomorrow, too.”

24

ASHER

“Didyou try on the tux I sent over?” Aunt Vivian asked me through the earpiece of my phone.

It was Saturday afternoon, and my aunt had called me while I was walking into my dorm room after a homework session with Hunter and Scarlett.

“I was just about to do that,” I said, looking at the large rectangular box that had been delivered to my room this morning.

I hadn’t actually planned to try on the tux since my mind had been elsewhere this afternoon, but now that she’d reminded me, I was going to put it on.

“Okay, I just want to make sure it fits right,” Aunt Vivian said. “Geraldo says that if we need him to do any more alterations, we’ll have to get it back to him before the fifteenth since he’ll be taking a few weeks off for the holidays.”

“I’m sure it’ll fit me just fine,” I said.

“Please just try it on and let me know,” she said. “I know this debutante ball probably seems silly to you, but as the chairman, I just want to make sure you boys look your best.”

I didn’t know why it mattered what I wore since I wasn’t an escort like Jace and Logan would be—I’d simply be hanging out in the crowd, sitting at the table as my cousins did the dorky debutante dance with their girlfriends.

But my aunt was already stressed enough about the fancy event she was in charge of for the first time, so I said, “I’ll try it on right now and let you know.”

“Send me some photos, too,” she said. “I want to see it for myself.”

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