Page 109 of The Ruse

While things had seemingly heated up between Nash and me onstage, outside of rehearsals, we were still in relationship limbo where nothing had actually started.

It was like we were two people trying to have a conversation about our feelings, but instead of speaking the same language, he spoke Spanish and I spoke French.

And as the days went on and we continued to get our signals crossed, I also started to wonder if I really liked him as much as I’d thought. Or if I’d simply wanted to be with him because he was a great guy and I should want to be with someone like him.

That maybe I’d simply liked the idea of being with him more than actually being with him…

My conflicting feelings for Asher weren’t exactly helping things on the Nash front either.

“Well…” Nash folded his arms across his chest. “If you’d been with us on our date last weekend, you might have a different opinion on what goes on when you aren’t watching. She certainly wasn’t acting when we kissed on Saturday night.”

Was Nash trying to brag about the kiss he’d given me in his family’s Escalade?

Because, um, I liked Nash and all, and the kiss had been sweet, but I doubted Asher would be jealous of it since the kisseswe’dshared before that had beenverydifferent.

An image of us kissing in his room flitted through my mind.

“Just because someone lets you kiss them doesn’t mean they have feelings for you,” Asher said.

“I know,” Nash said. “But when they tell you that they like you, it usually means that they do.”

“So Elyse told you she likes you?” Asher asked.

“She did.”

“Then you probably wouldn’t like hearing that she kissed me the night before your big date.”

My jaw dropped and I had to stifle a gasp. Had he actually just said that?

“You and Elyse were together Friday night?” Nash asked, sounding surprised.

“We were rehearsing together,” Asher said. “But I could tell she wanted it.”

Well, at least he was giving the context now.

“Ah, so it was for the play.” Nash’s shoulders relaxed. “She was probably just acting with you then. You did just say what an amazing actor she is.”

Should I do something?

Before I could decide, Asher was saying, “You know Raoul wins Christine in the end, right?” His jaw flexed. “That none of the theatrics from The Phantom actually win her over.”

“Well,” Nash said, seeming unbothered by Asher’s passive-aggressive tone. “It’s a good thing I’m not actually The Phantom then, isn’t it? In fact, if anything, you’re way more like The Phantom in real life and I’m more like Raoul.”

“You think because you’re rich and have the perfect family and can take her on fancy dates that she’s going to choose you?” Asher scoffed. “You think those are the things Elyse cares about?”

“I don’t see how they can hurt.” Nash shrugged. “She seemed to enjoy our date well enough. And as far as I’m concerned, she’s already picked me.”

Okay. This is just getting petty.

If they kept talking like this, I was pretty sure I’d have no problem choosing between the two of them because I wouldn’t want to pick either one.

They might both be super hot high school seniors, but they sounded like a couple of five-year-olds fighting over a toy.

I was just about to pull the curtain open and tell them as much when Asher said, “So if she was to pick me, would you call the police and blame me for some other crime that I didn’t commit?”

Oh no. This is not going to be good.

Asher had not been happy when I’d told him that Nash had talked to the police. If he was even half as upset as he’d been after I told him, I didn’t see this ending well.

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