Page 57 of Reckless Liar

I stared at his soft hazel eyes. “It is, isn’t it?”

Xander shook his head. “It’s not like it was. Now it’s up to you. You need to stop being so afraid of what others expect of you, Ana.”

“I know,” I whispered. “I do. I just can’t help it.”

He leaned forward and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he pressed his lips to my forehead, lingering a little longer.

His words were soft against my skin, I closed my eyes to the sensation. “I don’t believe in destiny. We all have choices, Ana. Please make yours soon.”

Iwassolostin thought about my talk with Xander I didn’t see Scarlett until she sat down at the table without even a hello.

“Ask me,” she demanded.

“Ask you what?”

She scoffed loudly. “Ask me if there’s anything I need from you.”

“Nice to see you, Scarlett. I’m so glad we could meet up. I’ve been super busy at work too.” I said sarcastically.

She waved her hand at me, flicking my comments away. “We’re too close for that kind of small talk. Ask me.”

“Okay.” I played along. “Scarlett, is there anything you need from me?”

“Yes, Liliana Pryce, there is.” She gave me a mischievous smile and slapped her hand on the table between us. On her finger was a large black stone on a thin platinum band. I stared at it for several seconds trying to figure out what she was showing me. She wiggled her fingers and I realized what finger the ring was on.

“You’re engaged?” I exclaimed.

She laughed, wiggling in her chair. “Isn’t it amazing? I was so surprised. We haven’t been together that long, and I knew how I felt, but I’ve always been a headfirst type of gal so I figured she’d come around, eventually. I thought I was the one who would propose but...” she gazed down at her ring and let out a giddy laugh. “I am so excited.”

I grabbed her hand to inspect the ring. “You should be. I am so excited for you.”

“We already discussed it and it’s going to be in May at her family’s home in Illahee. It’s not going to be a really big thing, only about fifty guests or so.”

“You don’t want a big thing?” I laughed. “You?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Might be bigger than that.” Her smile got bigger. “Emma wants a small thing, we’ll see.”

“No matter the size of the wedding, I’d be honored to be your maid of honor.”

“You know, Troy will be there too.” She quirked an eyebrow suggestively.

“Troy and I are not going to happen. I told you what a fiasco that was.”

“So, you don’t think you’ll bring anyone as your date? Not even...” She pursed her lips theatrically. “Xander?”

“What does that mean?”

Scarlett peered at me over the top of her coffee mug. “Nothing. I’ve just observed that you and Xander have been spending a lot of time together.”

“We live together,” I said, chuckling. I tipped my cup up to my lips, the hot coffee scalding my tongue. I’d felt shaky since my conversation with Xander. “We’ve always spent time together. We’ve known each other since we were ten.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “And that's it?”

I looked away, not trusting myself. I didn’t want to lie to Scarlett, she was my best friend and I desperately wanted to tell her everything. I had all these resolute emotions that were frightening the center of who I thought I was. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way—not about Xander. I did the best I could to reroute the question.

“What are you saying, Scar?”

She placed her cup delicately on the table and smiled at me. “You know what I’m saying.”

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