Page 52 of Misunderstood: In Love with the Nerd (Miss 2)

Sonya heard the door slam behind her and gave a careless shrug. What did she care whether she had upset Daniel or not? This was her weekend, her conspiracy. She couldn’t let him ruin it for her. If it killed them, they would act like the devoted couple they were pretending to be.

She waited for him to shower and change so that they could show up for breakfast together. It wouldn’t look good if they arrived apart. Thankfully, she didn’t have long to wait. Daniel was not the kind to dawdle and they arrived downstairs in the kitchen just as the other two couple made an appearance.

At their entrance, however, Sonya was taken aback when all four heads turned in their direction and silence fell over the room. She arched a brow in surprise, then leisurely strolled toward the table where a pitcher of orange juice sat.

In the process of pouring herself a glass, Maura broke the silence and said, “That was quite the quarrel last night.”

Sonya nearly dropped her glass. Spinning around, she stared at the others with her mouth drooping open.

Tristan offered, “It’s a small bungalow. Walls are fairly thin.”

Her eyes grew wide and if she were the blushing kind, she’d be downright crimson. She attempted to move her lips but nothing came out. She couldn’t think of a single lie to cover up their fight.

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“Don’t worry,” Audrey said. “We couldn’t hear what you were actually fighting about, just the tone of your voices.”

She felt the air whoosh out of her chest and darted a look at Daniel. He didn’t look in the least bit worried.

“You two still look unhinged this morning. I hope you didn’t go to bed angry.” Maura eyed one then the other.

“No, of course not.” She finally found her voice and was surprised at how easy it was to lie.

“Well, just to be safe,” Maura said with a glitter to her eye, “It’s best to kiss and make up. This is after all supposed to be a fun weekend.”

Sonya knew she ought to refuse, especially since a quick glance at Daniel revealed the worry now very evident on his face. She was surprised at the irritation she felt at the sight of his fear. What did he think she would do? Strip him in front of everyone and make mad passionate love right there on the kitchen tiles? A flicker of delight had her feeling slightly reckless and propelled her back across the room to Daniel.

At her approach, his eyes grew in alarm and his mouth clamped shut. This, however, would not thwart Sonya. She had a point to prove and she wouldn’t stop until she achieved it. Halting only when her body pressed up against his, she slipped her arms up and around his neck and said loudly so everyone could hear, “Mustn’t ruin the weekend for everyone.”

Then, closing the small distance between them she moved her mouth until it touched his, whispering a second before, “Relax.”

Her mouth closed over his and felt that same warmth she had when she kissed him that day in his apartment. It traveled from her lips down to the tips of her toes. It dawned on her then that she had wanted to do this ever since that first kiss. Her treacherous mind had played with the idea while her reasonable side was quick to reject the idea. Daniel was not her type. He was the kind you stayed away from. He would become emotionally attached far too easy. His attitude and outlook on life mirrored that of the Ten Commandments. The hard and merciless real world would destroy him.

As she felt his hands coming up and drowning themselves in her hair, she pulled away. Their eyes met for brief seconds, before she stepped back and out of his embrace. He looked stunned and disoriented and Sonya couldn’t help but feel a spurt of pity.

She turned and shot a hard look at Maura as if to deny what she saw. The look of satisfaction on her friend’s face had Sonya knowing she had just scored highly. If she were to keep up this charade all weekend, she would have to continue to flaunt more attention on Daniel.

Recalling the look on his face the second before she kissed him, however, had her insides curling with self-loath.

It was obvious he didn’t want a thing to do with this. She was violating his morals and it made her feel worse than she would have imagined. As she returned to the kitchen table and grabbed a croissant, she pondered her next move.

For in the price of rescuing one friend she was losing another. She knew with renewed certainty that Daniel was very dear to her. No matter how much she had claimed that they were too different to be friends, she now knew she had been wrong. That he was as close to her as any of her nearest friends. If not closer.

The remainder of the day was spent frolicking in the main downtown core. The streets were packed with crowds of people as the long weekend was well under way. It was a beautiful day with the sun bright and hot. The weather was cooperating splendidly. Temperatures reached mid-eighties allowing many young male bodies bare from the waist up and female bodies clothed only in bikini tops. Music boomed from outdoor speakers along the promenade shops, while the smell of French fries and grease drifted from the many burger shacks.

The three couples strolled along the storefronts where merchandise cluttered the sidewalks. Sonya and Maura stopped to admire a rack of bikini wraps while Audrey and Tristan browsed a display of beaded jewelry. Daniel stood to the side deep in conversation with Patrick Hunter.

No doubt discussing the principles of science and mathematics. For some reason, Sonya didn’t seem to mind. Just as long as he was having a good time. He glanced up and caught her eye. Without hesitation she smiled. He smiled in return.

She turned back to the rack as her smile grew even wider. This was what she liked. When she and Daniel got along, they did so well together.

“My, Sonya, you’re simply beaming.” Maura nudged her. “That boyfriend of yours is certainly doing wonders for your disposition.”

Looking at her friend, she frowned on the inside. She hated deceiving her, but truth be told she wasn’t terribly far off the mark. “I’m just enjoying myself, Maura. Like you.”

Her friend grinned and looked past her shoulder. “I am just so happy to have found Patrick.”

She glanced over her shoulder to the two men again and dragged her eyes away from Daniel to look at Maura’s man. He wasn’t anything to brag about, yet Maura saw something in him that Sonya, for the life of her, couldn’t see. That must be true love she thought with a start.

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