Page 46 of For You & No One Else (Say Everything 3)

Twelve

Will was funny—and cute. Eliza looked down at her drink, wondering if maybe she’d been served alcohol instead of a mocktail because she found she was actually having a good time on a night out for the first time in longer than she could remember. She’d been laughing so much over the last twenty minutes that she felt almost drunk with it, but no, there was no taste of booze in her drink. Beckham’s friends were just a great group—smart,interestingpeople.

Because of course they were. And Beckham had also done her a solid, setting her up to sit next to Will, the handsome lawyer who wasdefinitelyflirting with her.

Eliza had been afraid that she wouldn’t fit in with a group of young techies, but Beckham’s friends had much more varied backgrounds than she’d expected. All were obviously sharp but also laid-back in that everyone’s-welcome way that made it feel like she’d been part of this group all along. She was able to exhale in a way she hadn’t in a while. Maybe this project wouldn’t be so hard after all. Maybe she really could meet great guys without the pre-date research, the vague Facebook stalking, and the dating-app profiles. She’d always figured that more information was better. Research was smart. But she hadn’t thought about how skewed that research was when applied to online profiles. People only put stuff online they wanted you to see. Those online nuggets weren’t real research findings, that was being wooed by a curated advertising campaign.

Silently, she made mental notes about her first no-phone party so that she could jot them down later for the book.

As Andi answered Trinity’s question about writing horror, Eliza glanced at Beckham, feeling a little guilty for making mental notes when she’d told him this wouldn’t be a public project. His gaze met hers, eyes unreadable. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet since they’d joined the group a while ago. He gave her a quick, barely there smile—a silent exchange between them—but she got the sense he wasn’t having as good a time as she was. Or maybe he was the quiet guy of the group. A listener. An observer. The poker player who always kept his cards close.

“So who’s game for some games?” Khuyen asked, dragging Eliza’s attention back to the group. Khuyen tucked his shoulder-length black hair behind his ears and smiled. “As good as the company is, we didn’t come here to be couch warmers, right?”

Will draped his hand across the back of the sofa, being respectful and not touching Eliza, but she could feel the heat of his presence there, the hint of suggestion. “I’m game for anything.”

“Me too, but Ireallywant to see the scary games,” Andi said, rubbing her hands together. “I’m here for the book fodder. Bring on the Bloody Mary chanting and seances!”

Trinity shook her head. “You have fun with that, sugar. I’m O-U-T out.”

Eliza looked to Andi, giving her a sheepish look. “Um, you know I love you, but…”

Andi patted her knee. “Oh Lize, I know you’re a scaredy-cat. I’ll be fine on my own.” Her lips twitched into a conspiratorial smile that only Eliza would catch. “You stay here and find the right games for you. Will looks like a scaredy-cat, too.”

Oh.Eliza got it then. Andi wasn’t really that focused on book research. She was giving Eliza space to flirt.

“Damn straight,” Will agreed wholeheartedly. “My grandmother would not appreciate me trying to call forth her spirit in some seance. She never liked her naps interrupted.”

Eliza laughed.

Hannah stood. “I’ll go with you, Andi. I ain’t skerred.”

“Awesome.” Andi pushed herself up off the couch and grabbed her drink. “Let’s go conjure some spirits!”

Trinity gave them a pointed look and made the sign of the cross. “Lord help them for they know not what they do.”

Andi grinned and gave Eliza a little wave before heading toward one of the hallways.

“So,” Khuyen said, slapping his thighs like he was raring to go. “Since it’s hard to pick a game, how about we gamble a little? There are three rooms down that hallway.” He pointed to the hallway opposite the one Andi had gone down and then reached out to a bowl of Skittles sitting in the middle of the coffee table. He plucked out a red, an orange, and a green Skittle. “Red means room one, orange room two, green room three. Whichever one we pick, we have to go and play at least one round. Who’s in?”

Kevin, who hadn’t said much and looked like he’d already had too many drinks, shook his head and stood. “Not me. I need another drink.”

“Chicken,” Will teased.

Kevin flipped him off with a smile and then headed to the bar.

“I’m cool with that,” Trinity said and wiggled her fingers at the candies. “Leave it up to the fates.”

“Me too.” Will reached out to grab some Skittles to pop into his mouth. “Let’s see what the night brings us.”

Khuyen nodded and looked to Eliza, arching his eyebrows playfully. “How about you, newbie? Feeling brave?”

She glanced at Beckham, who was sipping his drink but watching for her answer. She didn’t know exactly what she was getting herself into, but she felt safe enough that if she found something she didn’t want to be a part of, she could say no and walk away without it being a big deal. “Yeah, sure, why not?”

Khuyen smiled and then turned his head. “Beckham?”

Beckham leaned forward, bracing his inked forearms on his thighs, his expression calm and cool. “Sure. Can’t be anything more dangerous than listening to you sing Queen on karaoke night.”

Khuyen snorted. “Don’t even. You know I slayed that shit.”

---