Page 80 of The Cuffing Game
Mia dropped her phone in the sand. After picking it up again, she asked, “Wait, what? How did you...”
Celine laughed. “Okay, so, at first, when you told me you knew Noah, you weresointense. I was, like, wow, she must really hate him. And while I was on your show, I got a sense thatsomethingwas up, but I was too busy with my own drama with Noah to figure out what. But after watching the show on our way to Vegas, I realized that intensity is part of your dynamic with him. You hate each other, but you like each other just as much. Maybe more. Either way, you two are obsessed and there are entirefan editsout there shipping you guys! I watched a few of those, too.”
“Oh no,” Mia groaned. She’d accidentally stumbled upon a couple on social media earlier today herself. It was all so embarrassing. “Celine, I’m so sorry. While it’s true that I had a crush on Noah, I never thought it’d be reciprocated. I would have never brought you and him onto the show otherwise.”
“Yeah, well... no real hard feelings. Because we both got what we wanted in the end. Don’t get me wrong, what happened on the show wasreallyawkward, and I’m glad we’re getting a few weeks off from living together during the break. But I’m also low-key grateful because the show helped me realize that Noah isn’t the kind of guy I likeat all.Kyle is.”
“Kyle?”
Celine giggled at Mia’s disbelief.
“Okay, I think you got a really bad impression of him from Noah,” Celine replied. “But he’s not that bad,I promise! He’s just a rebel, which I like! Kyle is what I thought Noah would be like in real life. Based on his social media, I mean.”
Mia made a face at the thought of Noah being like Kyle. She remembered what Noah said about Kyle wanting to be like him and cleared her throat. “Well, even though you said it was okay, I’m still sorry for the mistakes I made. Really. I promise to be a better roommate—andfriend—next year.”
“Same here,” Celine replied. “I’m glad we’re having this conversation, honestly! We’ve talked more now than we did all semester.”
Mia winced. “Yeah, we should definitely fix that in the new year.”
“Agreed!”
Mia was thinking back to her conversations with Celine when she remembered an important detail. “Wait,” she said. “So are you not going to see your family in China this year? The main reason I thought you were kidnapped or something was because you said you already had plans for break.”
A few seconds later, Celine replied, “Oh, yeah, okay. I can see how that made you worry. But nah, that flight isn’t until tomorrow. And I asked my parents if I could skip this time around. I love my family and all, but we go every year! I’d rather hang out with Kyle.”
“And they just let you skip?” Mia’s mouth fell open indisbelief. Dropping out from a family tripandgoing to Las Vegas with a boy were both thingsherparents would never let her do. Her life and Celine’s were so different from top to bottom.
“Yeah,” Celine replied. “I mean, they don’t know I’m in Vegas right now. But I’m going back home at around noon to drop my parents off at the airport, so everything should be fine. That reminds me. Could youpleasedo me a favor and edit out any mention of Kyle and me going to Vegas? And about me going missing? Please, roommate to roommate? I don’t want to get disowned.”
Mia grinned. “Sure. Not just roommate to roommate, but friend to friend. It’s the least I can do after everything I put you through this week.”
“Thanks, Mia,” Celine replied. “You’re the best.”
Mia smiled. From her voice, she could tell the other girl was smiling too.
She was about to say bye when Celine said, “Oh, also. Mia? Now that we’ve cleared the air, can you tell Noah topleasego back to LA? He and Kyle had a pretty intense dance-off at the concert we were at, and now I’m watching them try to one-up each other outside of the car. I feel like I’m third wheeling on my own trip.”
“Wait, what? Noah is inVegasright now? With you and Kyle?”
“Oh, I thought you knew! Yeah. He got here an hour ago, and he kept pestering us to tell you I’m okay. Which is whyI called you as soon as we got out of the show. Whoa, Noah just did a backflip!”
Mia’s heart felt funny, jittery, and nervous in a way it’d never felt before.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll call him right now. Thanks so much, Celine. For everything. Happy holidays and I’ll see you next year!”
“You, too!”
They hung up. After taking a few calming breaths that would make Jeannette proud, Mia called Noah.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Noah
“You’re inVegas?”
Noah couldn’t tell if Mia was happy or mad. She sounded like she was a bit of both.
He pressed his phone closer to his ear and looked down from where he and Kyle were parked on the rooftop level of the parking garage.
