Page 19 of Crossing Lines

“Great idea,” Elodie slurs. “Aria, I dare you to call Jake.”

She scrunches up her nose. “Or not.”

“Do it,” I say, turning it into a chant that Elodie happily joins in with.

“I’m going to need some more alcohol first,” Aria says.

And somehow more alcohol also called for some dancing, and then, before she could call, Evren’s at our table. I blink at him, not believing he’s here. He never goes out, and so the only explanation I have is that he isn’t real.

“Do you see him, too?” I whisper-shout to the girls. “Or am I hallucinating?”

“See who?” Elodie asks, eyes wide.

Aria giggles and pokes Evren in the arm. “He’s real all right. What kind of workout do you do to get that kind of muscle?”

“I know the answer to that.” I raise my hand in the air and wave it from side to side. “He swims.”

“Impressive,” Elodie says.

“Are you done ogling me?” Evren says.

“Depends,” I ask. “Why are you here?”

“Well, after your call,” Evren says, “I got a call from Hunter. He’s looking for Elodie. Apparently, he was supposed to meet you an hour ago at Tempest?”

“Oh shit,” Elodie says, whipping out her phone. “I forgot about that.”

“Way to double-book yourself,” Aria says, pouting.

Elodie snorts. “We were all supposed to go and meet up with Quincy and Jake.”

“Why didn’t Hunter come to get her himself?” I ask. Tempest is only a few blocks away, whereas, Evren drove twenty minutes to get to downtown.

“I was in the area.”

“Oh really,” I say sarcastically, not believing that for a second. If I know anything about Evren, it’s his schedule. He doesn’t deviate from it, or at least he hasn’t all week.

“The guys are calling it a night,” Elodie says, reading something on her phone. “I’m going to ride back with Hunter, and he’ll meet me outside in a few minutes. Aria, do you want to spend the night at our house, or do you have a hotel?”

“I have a hotel that’s just around the corner,” Aria says.

“I can take you home,” Evren says to me, “if you want.”

Do it,Aria mouths to me.

“Fine,” I say. “But first we’re walking Aria back to her hotel.”

“No problem,” he says.

After a quick goodbye to Elodie when Hunter arrives, and a weird standoff between Aria and Jake, Aria and I walk arm in arm to her hotel while Evren is a few paces behind us, as if he’s giving us privacy. It’s oddly…considerate?

“Are you okay?” I ask Aria quietly.

“Of course.” She glances at me. “Why do you ask?”

“You decided to come here so suddenly.”

“Oh…that. I just needed a break from my parents. Nothing I do is ever good enough, you know?”

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