Page 25 of The Ruse

“Yeah.” I pushed my hands into the pockets of my school-issued slacks. “A veryattractiveperk, I might say.”

“Elyse isn’t going to fall for you, if that’s what you’re trying to suggest,” Nash said, catching on.

“No?” I tilted my head to the side. “And why’s that?”

“Because she and I are…” He sighed, like he wanted to say they were an item but couldn’t.

Which answered the question I’d been wondering about the past few days about the status of their relationship.

“Is she your girlfriend?” I arched an eyebrow. “Is that why she’d never be interested in someone like me?”

He clenched his jaw. I could tell he wanted to say that she was indeed his girlfriend, but he sighed and said, “No, she’s not my girlfriend.” He checked the area around us as if making sure Elyse wasn’t in hearing range. Then he added, “Yet.”

“Not yet, you say?” I asked, unable to resist the grin sneaking up my face over the plans formulating in my head. “Then I suppose I should say, challenge accepted.”

8

ELYSE

“Talk about stealingthe show during the first read-through,” a deep voice said when I walked backstage after the five-minute break Miss Crawley had given us.

I turned to see who had said those words, not sure who was talking to me, and saw Asher leaning against the black wall.

“Are you talking to me?” I put a hand on my chest, frowning at him.

“Of course.” His tall form stepped away from the wall and he sidled up beside me. “When you said you were playing Christine, I had no idea I’d be playing opposite someone so talented.”

“Oh.” My cheeks filled with heat. “Th-thank you.”

He pushed his hands into his pockets as we walked behind the curtains backstage, toward the circle of chairs. “I know I messed up during that first song, but I promise I’ll do better the rest of the day.” He peeked sideways at me with a half-smile on his lips. “I definitely don’t want to look like the fool singing with a professional.”

“Y-you did just fine,” I said, my heart fluttering a little from the way he was looking at me. “It’s normal not to be perfect on the first day.”

I certainly hadn’t done my part perfectly, either. Those high notes at the end of the song I’d sang with Nash just before the break were going to be a killer. I was a soprano, so I had a higher range, but even then, I’d found myself reaching to hit those high notes.

“Well, you’re just making me look bad,” Asher said when we made it to the end of the maroon curtains.

“Says the guy who is already off book and sounds like he’s been singing these songs for years.”

I knew he was just being nice and complimenting me, but seriously, he was good. His voice was warm and smooth—having a rich quality that I hadn’t expected—and if he thought I was a professional vocalist, I could say the same for him.

Asher and I were hovering by the thick curtains when I noticed Nash walking through the stage doors. And even though he smiled when our gazes met, I caught the slight scowl he got when he realized I was talking to Asher.

Why did he dislike Asher so much? Aside from having rumors spread about him, all my interactions with Asher so far had been mostly positive. Did Nash believe Asher had something to do with the disappearance of his girlfriend?

Or was theirs a rivalry that had been going on for much longer than that?

“I think we’re starting now,” Nash said when he reached me, briefly touching my elbow to draw my attention.

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” I said, my skin warming where his fingers touched.

Nash’s blue eyes searched mine for a second, like he was trying to figure out what my level of interest was with Asher. Which was nothing he should be worried about, of course, since I was team Nash all the way.

As Nash continued on to where our chairs were, I turned to look at Asher again.

“I better let you get back to your boyfriend.” Asher slid his gaze back to me. “He looks like he’s missed you in the past five minutes.”

And instead of saying, “Yes, I better go,” I found myself stupidly telling him, “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend.”

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