Page 146 of The Ruse

“We’ve been dating for a month and you’re already planning our wedding?” Elyse asked with a laugh.

“Seems pretty inevitable.” I shrugged and looked at the way Asher still had his arm around Elyse’s waist, despite having his attention focused on the audience.

When they’d come back from winter break and told everyone that they were dating, I hadn’t been one bit surprised. Sure, Elyse had been distracted by Nash for a while. But I’d known from the first time I’d seen her and Asher walk into the library together for that study session, that it was only a matter of time before they got together.

Hunter and I had even made a bet that night that Asher and Elyse would be together before opening night of the musical, since we knew how much time they’d be spending together.

Hunter had bet they’d get together before New Year’s. I’d bet it would be more mid-January since I was more of a realist.

And of course, as what always happened in the bets I made with Hunter, he had been right, and I’d had to take him to dinner at The Italian Amigos.

Again.

If I were smart, I would stop making bets with him since he always won. He was way too good at reading people.

But since I was way too competitive for my own good, I just couldn’t resist the chance to beat my best friend and have bragging rights until we made our next bet.

“Five minutes until showtime,” Miss Crawley called from behind us, rushing through the sea of students wearing their late 1800’s get-up.

“Well, I guess I better go find my seat,” I said to my friends, picking up my notebook from the chair beside me. “Break a leg.”

“Thank you.” Elyse smiled, giving me a quick hug. “And if I do anything embarrassing, please just leave it out of your article.”

“Okay, fine.” I returned her hug awkwardly since I sucked at showing affection—initiating hugs or sayingI love youbeing something I just didn’t know how to do. “I guess I’ll just go with my other plan of writing about how real the chemistry seemed between Christine and Raoul. How it felt like they were actually in love.”

“Yes, it’s totally not real at all.” Elyse laughed as she pulled away from the hug. “We’re justsupergood actors. Right, Asher?”

“Huh?” Asher turned away from the curtains, and I had to do a double take because it kind of looked like he was having an emotional moment.

“What’s wrong?” Elyse asked, noticing it, too.

“Ah, this is embarrassing,” Asher said, wiping at his eyes carefully and trying not to smudge the stage makeup that was supposed to make him look like an old man.

“Was I not supposed to say ‘break a leg?’” I asked, trying to make them laugh because I always felt awkward when people were emotional.

“No.” He chuckled. “That’s how the saying goes.” He blinked his eyes a few times and looked at Elyse. “I just… I saw my aunt and uncle and cousins out there in the audience with Owen and Rosa and…” He blew out a low breath, like he was fighting another wave of emotion. “Well, I’ve never had anyone besides Owen in the audience for me before.”

“Really?” Elyse asked.

He nodded.

“Well…” Elyse stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. “I wish I’d been here for all your other performances. But you have a lot of people here for you now.”

“I know,” he said. And when he kissed the top of her head and she snuggled closer to him, I suddenly felt like I was intruding on a moment.

I was also reminded of just how long it had been since I’d had someone hold me like that.

Approximately two hundred and eighty-two days, seven hours, and two minutes…

But who was counting?

Certainly not me.

I definitely never regretted telling Hunter that we should just be friends…

You know, except for basically every time I saw him talking to another girl and wondered if she was going to be the one who stole my best friend from me.

I sighed and glanced back at Asher and Elyse who were now holding hands as they walked to the corner where the rest of the cast was gathering for a pre-show pep talk.

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