Page 85 of Between Here and There

The screen lights up, and Bon’s face appears, all glowing excitement and windswept hair.

“Hey!” she exclaims, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. “Paris is amazing!” She launches into a rapid-fire account of her day at the Louvre.

“We saw the Mona Lisa! Honestly, Ryan and I don’t really care about art that much, but we figured, when in Paris, right? So, we—”

She suddenly squints at the screen, leaning closer. “Wait a minute.” Her tone shifts, curious and accusatory all at once. “Em… is that my brother’s apartment? Are you in Kuya’s apartment?!”

My stomach drops. I glance at the unmistakable industrial shelving behind me and groan internally. Of course, Bon would recognize it.

“Oh my gosh!” Kate’s voice chimes in from the corner of the screen. Her wide eyes and grin could power a small city. “Are you two together for real now?”

“No,” I say quickly, holding up a hand as if that will stop the avalanche of assumptions. “This is just… a temporary solution to a temporary problem.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” Haley says, her voice dripping with skepticism. She takes a sip from her mug, clearly enjoying this.

“Seriously,” I insist, flipping the omelet with a little too much force. “It’s not what you think. He offered me a place to crash while I had to sort things out with my landlord. That’s all.”

Kate tilts her head, narrowing her eyes in that sweet but calculating way only she can. “And by ‘figure things out,’ do you mean ‘fall madly in love with Bon’s brother’?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, my voice a little high-pitched.

Bon leans back in her chair, a sly smile creeping onto her face. “You know,” she says, drawing out the words, “Kuya has a very nice apartment. Lots of rooms. Plenty of space for two people to… coexist.”

“Bon!” I nearly drop the spatula.

“What? I’m just saying,” she says, feigning innocence.

Haley raises an eyebrow, smirking. “You’re awfully defensive for someone who’s not interested.”

I open my mouth to argue, but the sound of footsteps behind me stops me cold.

“Good morning,” Josh’s voice rumbles, low and groggy, as he pads into the kitchen. He’s wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt, his hair deliciously messy—Stop it, Emily.

“You shouldn’t have cooked. I would’ve made breakfast for us,” he continues, and then he’s startled as he stares at my phone screen as it erupts into chaos.

“Oh my God, it’s Josh!” Kate squeals.

“Hey, Kuya!” Bon says, waving at the screen like this is a normal situation.

Haley just grins. “Wow, breakfast together. This whole situation really screams temporary to me.”

Josh looks at the screen, then at me, one eyebrow quirked. “Morning, ladies,” he says again, this time with a small, knowing smirk.

I glare at him, willing him to disappear, but Josh is entirely unbothered. He casually pours himself a cup of coffee, moving with that maddening ease like he owns the place. Well, technically, he does, but that’s not the point.

“I hate all of you,” I mutter, flipping the omelet onto a plate with more force than necessary and shoving it toward him. He catches it effortlessly, his grin smug and infuriating.

“Thanks,” he says, his fingers brushing against mine as he takes the plate. It’s a fleeting touch, but it lingers far longer than it should.

“No, you don’t,” Bon chimes in, her grin as wide as the Seine she was probably just gushing about. She leans closer to the screen, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Anyway, Ryan’s trying really hard to be spontaneous right now, so apparently, we’re off to our next destination.”

Her gaze shifts clearly to Ryan, who’s probably standing nearby. The smirk on her face tells me she’s about to drag him into something he’s only half agreed to.

“Bye! Enjoy the apartment, Emily!” she sing-songs, leaving no room for argument as she ends the call before I can protest.

“Traitor,” I grumble at the now-blank screen, setting the phone down with a huff.

Josh takes a bite of the omelet, humming in approval like this is just a regular morning and not some surreal invasion of my personal life. But before I can scold him for his nonchalant attitude, he sneezes—loudly.

---