Shocking, considering there are waiters at the party and the Pink Medusa never lifts a finger to make anyone happy. Except Archer, if she had a chance.
But she’s aiming right for me and Axavier.
“Snow in July,” I murmur and fake a smile, for Archer’s sake. Gotta keep this party fight-free.
“Axavier, sweetie!” Margot passes him a cocktail. “My special recipe.”
She takes another drink and gives it to me too forcefully. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know any recipes except how to ruin someone’s life.
“To Archer!” she cheers and shoves the empty tray to her friend.
Her girlfriend smiles at me, her gaze almost sincere with admiration when she says, “You look—”
“Like you fit in,” Margot finishes with a snake smile. “In another life, you know.”
“Jesus,” Axavier murmurs.
“You look like a Malevich painting,” I say sweetly, nodding at Margot’s knee-length tube dress that’s spotted with geometrical blocks.
She raises her eyebrows. “That’s a big word for someone who thinks high art is graffiti in Bangkok hoods.”
She’ll die tonight, I promise.
She pulls out a phone, turns her back to us, and takes a selfie of all of us.
I don’t bother looking at the screen. Instead, I step closer and lean over so no one hears the ugly side of my sense of humor intended for this precious creature.
“Marge,” I say—she winces when I call her that, “why don’t you take a selfie of your asshole and pass it around? Maybe you’ll finally find a boyfriend.”
“Is that how you found yours?”
“Archer prefers my face. Butyouare obviously struggling.”
Mrgot fakes a laugh and swings her hips to the music beat as she walks off, throwing me one last glance so poisonous that the safety pin tucked into my dress—a habit that my mom taught me and an Eastern European thing against jinxing—would not have saved me. Or her. She needs to be careful or there’ll be murder on the dance floor tonight.
“You two will never stop, huh?” Axavier says and downs the drink in one go.
“Whoa, slow down,” I warn him, noticing another flick of his eyes in Milan’s direction.
The cocktail is actually amazing. But I need to watch how much I drink. After all, it’s Archer’s party, and I’d rather make sure it all goes tip-top and he has the grandest time than get wasted and do something stupid.
My heart warms at the sight of Archer on the other side of the room making rounds and taking time talking to everyone. When he catches me staring now and then, locking his gaze with mine, my heart blooms like a freaking lotus on muddy water—strikingly and powerfully, my knees weak when he winks at me.
I thought that being officially together would give me peace. Instead, my feelings for him only grow stronger. I wake up thinking about him if he’s not next to me, or I study him in his sleep if he is. I wait for the evenings to have together time, but the nights apart are excruciating.
Archer makes his way toward Marlow, who’s sulking. Whatever is happening with him and Raylin, he won’t talk to me. Like it’s a secret.
As if on cue, Raylin’s blond bob appears in front of me, her big eyes and full lips mesmerizing—it’s impossible to get used to her beauty. She says hi, then laughs at Axavier’s joke, her hand on his bicep intentionally too friendly. She does it a lot with everyone. But in moments she’s alone, her smile disappears, her gaze focusing on nothing in particular as if she’s lost.
Kai seems happy with Callie on his lap, smiling and constantly touching him—those two are inseparable. So are Ty and Dani. That group is the happiest—laughing, drinking, exchanging jokes, Ty dressed in all designer clothes, now that he got his funds back—he’s back in his element.
Cece is drunk already and so humble, her hand wrapped around Bishop’s bicep. Tattooed, a mountain of muscles, yet humble and gentlemanlike, Bishop definitely looks out of place.
The familiar pink hair flickers next to him as Margot steps in front of him and tries to block him from the rest of the group.
“Check this out,” I say, nodding to Axavier, who’s more interested in his own little drama.
“She’s definitelyawareof him.” Axavier takes the cocktail which I barely touched out of my hand and downs it.