Page 74 of Begin Again

Theo blinks, visibly confused. “Did he just say what I think he said?”

“Ohhh,” Celeste drawls, drawing out the sound with a wicked grin, “They fuckin’.”

I slap a hand over her mouth, my cheeks flaming. “Shh! You don’t know that!”

She pulls my hand away, wiggling her eyebrows, her grin widening. “Come on, Selene. He basically said he left her house, like, this morning, and she’s expecting him to be back soon! I know what that means, and so do you.”

Theo groans, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s like my sister… I’m standing right here, you know.”

“Yeah, and you’re not denying it, are you?” Celeste quips, her sing-song tone making me roll my eyes.

Theo’s ears turn red, but he doesn’t respond, choosing instead to mutter under his breath about checking the stove. Meanwhile, Celeste leans closer to me, her whisper loud enough for him to hear anyway.

“Mo and Oreo. Never saw that coming. It sounds cute though.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” I hiss, though the heat rising in my cheeks betrays my curiosity.

“Oh, please,” she says, rolling her eyes. “This town just got way more interesting.”

Theo shakes his head, his lips twitching like he’s trying not to laugh. “You two are impossible.”

“We’re just observant,” Celeste fires back with a wink, clearly enjoying the moment far too much.

As Orion’s heavy footsteps fade down the hall, the room falls into a charged silence. None of us say it, but we’re all thinking the same thing. This investigation just took a very personal—and very intriguing—turn.

20

Theo

As we step out of the house, Orion twirls his keys between his fingers, already heading for his rental. Celeste catches my eye, a knowing smirk playing on her lips as she follows him.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” she calls over her shoulder in a sing-songy voice.

Selene crosses her arms, mirroring her sister’s smirk. “Good luck surviving the drive. Or did you forget—Orion drives like he’s in a high-speed chase?”

Celeste groans dramatically before turning to Orion. “Great. If I die, I’m haunting you.”

Orion scoffs, unlocking the car. “Puh-lease. I get us to where we need to go efficiently.”

“Illegally,” Selene corrects.

“Recklessly,” Celeste adds.

“Skillfully,” Orion counters, grinning as he swings into the driver’s seat.

“Sure, if by ‘skillfully,’ you mean ‘giving the entire town whiplash,’” Selene retorts, raising a brow.

Celeste sighs. “Just—try not to get arrested for once. I’d like to make it through one trip without the words ‘Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?’”

Orion rolls his eyes, but there’s amusement behind it. “Fine. I’ll keep it under 100.”

“Dude, this is a small town. That’s not the reassurance you think it is. I’m pretty sure the top speed is like, forty-five.” Selene deadpans.

I smother a laugh as Orion backs out of the driveway—way too fast—tires kicking up loose gravel. Celeste yelps as she nearly smacks into the window, before shooting a glare at her brother.

“See?” Selene gestures at the dust cloud left in their wake. “Menace.”

Chuckling under my breath I shake my head. She laughs beside me, shaking her head as well, and for a moment, the weight in my chest eases. It doesn’t last. We’re about to drive across town to talk about cyanide poisoning, and no amount of banter can change that.

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