Page 111 of Sunflower Persona
The group comes alive in a flurry then, bickering and laughing while they fill their plates. Gage and I are the only ones left on the outside. After a few tense minutes, he finally moves from the spot in front of the doorway, but he doesn’t join his friends in the kitchen.
“Hey, L—Kori,” he says but doesn’t look at me again.
Good. It’s easier to breathe without the weight of his eyes on me.
“Hey,” I respond, fidgeting with one of my thick coils.
“You look…different. Nice, but different.”
“Thanks.”
He doesn’t say anything else before grabbing a plate of his own. With a sigh, I follow him into the crowded kitchen.
I’m definitely getting my movie marathon.
By the time I fix my plate, there’s only one seat left, sandwiched between Nathan and Gage at the counter. Fuckingperfect. I glare at the back of Evelyn’s head before I squeeze into that cursed spot, leaving as much space as possible between me and my ex. Unfortunately, that means getting real up close and personal with his best friend.
“Saved you a seat,” Nathan says as he slings his arm over the back of my chair.
“Thanks,” I mumble and poke around at the food on my plate with disinterest.
“Listen…” His voice drops as he brings his head in closer like he’s telling me a secret. “I have a favor to ask, and you are going to say no, but at least hear me out before telling me to fuck off.”
“Uh…okay.”
This already sounds like a terrible idea.
“The girls are planning on FaceTiming with Chelsea before we start the ‘Christmas’ portion of the night, and I’m scared shitless. It’s the first time I’ll have talked to her or seen her since she left.”
“Okay?”
“She doesn’t know you. Sure, Evelyn has probably told her all the drama, but that just makes this work even better.”
“Makeswhatwork even better?”
“You pretending to be into me.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Maybe he’s had more to drink tonight than I thought.
“Just for, like, thirty minutes max. All I’m asking is for you to sit next to me and smile in my direction a few times. Maybe a little bit of light touching.” He brushes his fingers over my shoulder to show exactly what he means.
“What is the point of this convoluted plan?”
“To make Chelsea think I’m not still hung up on her.”
“But you are?” I clarify.
“Oh, without a doubt. But I don’t want her to know that,” he says with a sly grin.
“Fine,” I tell him with a grin of my own.
“Now, hear me out—wait, really?”
“What’s the worst that can happen?”
It will certainly be more fun than trying to ignore the brooding man next to me. At least with this scheme, I’ll be doingsomethingother than wallowing in the awkward energy.
