Page 115 of Gin and Lava

“They’re together,” I hear Connor say, reaching the bar and putting an arm around his girlfriend as if that could tamp down her wings.

“Together?” Arie bites out.

“It’s not a big deal,” Connor continues, trying to deescalate the situation, and shooting me a look of skepticism. If anyone’s going to blow our cover, it’s Arie.

“When did Hell freeze over?” Arie balks.

Trifecta’s eyes snap to Arie and Naomi, a look of validation stirring his gaze.

“Oh, it was a secret,” Shauri chimes in, not realizing she’s about to be steamrolled by a dragon. “They’re engaged!”

Fuck.

Shauri couldn’t have left it attogether?Together is big enough of a concept that Arie has to reconfigure her sense of the world, but Shauri had to go in with guns-a-blazing.

The look on Arie’s face saysNaomi and Mason are an impossibility. And furthermore, she’d rather eat tapeworms than live in a world where they’re engaged.

That truth stings like licking a razor blade.

Not because of the way Arie looks at me, but because of the way she looks at Naomi. Arie’s seriously considering Naomi’s sanity.

And that’s the truth of us. I drag Naomi down. Dating me makes Naomi look bad.

Normally, I wouldn’t give a fuck what others think, but it’s a slap in the face to watch Naomi wince at all the negative attention she’s getting. My reputation, my life, it all makes her look like a joke. Why would a Viking Princess want anything to do with a bottom feeder? Something must be seriously broken in Naomi for her to make that choice.

I catch Ned’s scowl, and even my oldest friend wears an expression of disapproval. He expected this. It’s my grave, and I ought to get out my shovel and start to dig.

Trifecta’s soaking in everyone’s reactions like a mind reader, taking in all the obvious clues—my friends don’t think Naomi would date me, much less accept a ring.

This is why I hate lying. I hate the trap it puts you in.

And frankly, the truth makes sense. Everyone within ten feet of Naomi and I would agree. Oil and water don’t mix. I’m the raunchy clown and she’s the designer princess: gorgeous, untouchable, and so out of my league it’s painful.

I wait for Naomi to say something: to confirm our relationship, or tell the truth. But she’s silent with her tongue tied in a knot. Evenshedoesn’t know how to speak this lie out loud.

This is it. This is when she turns to her friends and fesses up.

But I’m not ready for us to end.

“There’s no ring yet,” I say, jumping into the expanding silence and feigning a shrug. Arie’s eyes cut to me and I pretend her resting-dragon-face doesn’t turn my insides to lava. “But the sex is hot.”

That’s my style: simple, raunchy, and true.

Everything I just said is one-hundred-percent honest.

Arie’s eyes narrow, and I hold her stare. Her condescending frown says,Yes, Mason, you would desperately try to put a ring on an out-of-my-league girl like Naomi. It’s not like this carnival ride is ever coming to Mason Town again. Lock her down and make her regret it.

“Big Bamboo, I bet the sex is hot!” Shauri says, raising her tiki glass and nudging Naomi in the ribs. “Not that Cinderella over here will kiss and tell.”

Naomi blushes, and it helps sell the moment. Arie seems to retract her talons for the briefest of moments.

“Don’t I know you?” Arie asks, pointing at Shauri. “Didn’t you go to school with my sister?”

“Esme?” Shauri replies. “Yes, I did. I’m Shauri. I hear you have a fancy restaurant yourself. Though it’s going to be hard to beat being served out of a plastic flamingo. I mean look at that!” Shauri points to a woman sipping out of the beak of a pink bird.

Connor’s arm tightens around Arie as she bristles. I have to admit, I’m starting to like Shauri more and more.

“Our restaurants are nothing alike,” Arie hisses.

---