Page 62 of Say You Love Me

Liam and Ava are seated in the living room. Liam has this look of confusion on his face as his eyes flick back and forth between Rylee and me. Ava has a look of triumph. Sookie shuffles across the floor, sniffing everything, her lead trailing behind her.

“We were just out taking Sookie for a walk and thought we’d call in.”

Everyone’s smiles are tight. We all look at each other, aware of the strange circumstances but no one willing to address them. My only hope is that Ava keeps her mouth shut.

“Liam, Ava, this is Rylee,” I say after a somewhat awkward silence. “He’s a friend of Finity’s from the retreat.”

Ava snorts. “Retreat.”

“Wellness center,” I correct, as if that’s why she snorted.

Ava snorts again but gets to her feet and holds out her hand. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Rylee.” She pumps his hand a few times before turning back to me. Finity has moved closer, hovering at my side. “Of course, he’s already introduced himself as we’ve been here a while. You said you were staying a few days, didn’t you, Rylee?”

He clears his throat. “That’s right, yeah.”

“Because your flatmates kicked you out?” Ava glares at me the entire time she talks.

“Something like that. I’m going to grab a beer. Can I get either of you one?”

Liam opens his mouth at the same time as Ava but entirely different words come out. He claims that they should probably get going as Ava agrees to a drink. She laughs and swats her brother.

“Come on, one little drink won’t hurt, will it? I haven’t caught up with Hudson in so long. It feels like forever. Remind me,” Ava sits on the couch, “when was the last time we saw each other?” Her eyebrows are high.

Finity excuses herself to the kitchen and Rylee pads dutifully behind. He reaches for her as soon as they cross the doorway, but she jerks away, creating that pulse of power to surge within me. I take a seat and relax back into it.

“The last time we saw you would have had to be when you were over for dinner, wasn’t it? With your fiancé. What was his name again?”

“You mean the Hudson-doppelganger?” Liam laughs as Rylee walks back in and hands him a beer.

“He was not—is not a Hudson doppelganger. He looks nothing like Hudson.” Ava’s face flushes. “And we broke up.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Are you?” She flashes me a loaded look but all it does is make me laugh.

“Sure, he seemed nice.”

“But we’ve seen you since then. Remember you came over—” Rylee and Finity walk back into the room, and Liam turns his attention to them. “So, Rylee…” He sits forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “What do you do for a crust?”

“Excuse me?” Rylee’s face screws up in confusion as he sits on the couch.

“A crust? A living?” Liam repeats.

“What do you do for a job?” I clarify.

“Oh,” Rylee laughs. “I’m sort of between things at the moment. I’m an artist. A tattoo artist without a place to create my art.”

“You are?” Finity looks around, noting the only available seat is between Rylee and Ava on the couch. She swallows. I see her throat bob up and down and then she lowers herself into the space. Rylee moves closer. It’s just a tiny movement but both Ava and Liam notice. Liam just looks on curiously, but I can feel Ava’s glare from across the room. The tension is thick.

Rylee laughs and rests his arm over the back of the couch, dangerously close to Finity’s shoulders. “I told you that already, remember? It was just after they made us write in the horrible journals and you caught me doodling in the corner of the book.” He locks eyes with her. “After looking at the drawings, you told me I was probably the only person you would let permanently mark your skin.”

There’s something in his tone that ignites the tension in the room and sets it on fire. Even Ava’s breath heightens and she looks over at Rylee differently.

“I’ve always wanted a tattoo,” she says almost breathlessly, her attention seemingly distracted from the knowledge of what she knows.

“Liar.” Liam takes another swig of his drink. “You’ve always been too chicken.”

“I have not!” she exclaims. “What would you know, anyway?”

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