Page 89 of The Ruse

“No, of course not,” I said. Even if we had started making out, I’d never subject Elyse to Hunter’s bed. I was pretty sure he only washed his sheets once a month.

“But youwerekissing in here, weren’t you,” Scarlett said.

“We only did what we were supposed to do for the scene.”The fire alarm had interrupted us before we could get any further.

I stood, suddenly feeling amped up with pent-up energy.

“But you like her, don’t you?” Scarlett prodded.

“You guys aren’t going to let me off easy, are you?” I started taking the cuff links out of my dress shirt for something to do.

“You don’t need to feel guilty for liking her, if that’s what’s going on,” Scarlett said, a sudden tenderness in her voice that I hadn’t expected. “Bailee would want you to move on and be happy.”

I froze.

I’d been so caught up in my little Elyse bubble that I’d completely forgotten I was supposed to be mourning my ex.

But I couldn’t just act like I was pining for Bailee for forever, could I? It had been seven and a half months since she’d disappeared, and we still hadn’t found a single clue as to what had happened to her.

There had to be a point when I could believably move on without making people think I hurt her.

“Elyse is a sweetheart,” Scarlett said. “Heck, if I was into girls, I’d probably be in love with her, too.”

Hunter’s eyes widened momentarily, like he worried that might be a possibility and he’d have to deal with both girlsandguys stealing his best friend’s attention from him. But he managed to wipe the look away before Scarlett saw it.

“Shouldn’t you guys be siding with Nash, though?” I asked, deciding to stop trying to deny what my feelings were for Elyse. Apparently, it was written all over my face already. “He was your friend way before me.”

“You’re my friend, too,” Hunter said quickly, as if worried I doubted the friendship we’d built over the last two weeks. “So don’t try playing that card with me.”

Was it needy of me to want to hear that?

Friends were a hard commodity to come by these days.

“And yes, we’re Nash’s friends,” Scarlett said. “But we’re also Elyse’s friends as well, and…” Her words tapered off, like she wasn’t sure she should continue.

“Well, what?” I asked, my heart pounding fast.

Scarlett shrugged. “I guess I’ve wondered if she started liking Nash just because he was available and showed interest in her first.”

“You do?” I asked, a spark of hope flickering in my chest again. “Like a crush of convenience?”

“I mean, I think she does like him,” Scarlett said. “I just—” She pressed her lips together, as if really considering her words. “I saw the way she was looking at you when you both got back from the cabin last weekend. And then, I watched her all week and caught her staring at you when she didn’t think anyone was paying attention.”

My stomach fluttered and tingles raced from my shoulders and down to my toes.

She bit her lip and added, “I guess I just wondered if she’d really be interested in Nash if she had met you first.”

Her words and what she was suggesting hit me like a bucket of ice being poured over my head.

Could that be possible?

Would Elyse and I be together right now if Nash had never been a distraction?

“You’re not just playing with me, are you?” I asked, my heart beating so fast with the possibility.

“No, of course not.” Scarlett shook her head and frowned a little like she was worried she might have said something wrong. “But I mean, this is all just my opinion based on what I’ve seen from the outside. Elyse hasn’t actually talked to me about any of this.”

My chest deflated. Scarlett must have somehow picked up on the disappointment and confusion swirling through my mind because she said, “I know she’s on a date with Nash right now. But if you like her, you should let her know.”

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