Page 64 of Evil Villain (The Royal Court)

Brayden shrugged. “It doesn’t have a title or anything, but…”

Avery clapped her hands. “Yes! Yes!” She stabbed a finger out at Colette. “Suck it, Bentley!”

Colette crossed her arms. “Fine. I owe you $50.”

“Did you bet on us?” Kyle said with his nose wrinkled up. “That’s pretty shitty.”

Colette sat up straight. “Oh no! We didn’t bet on your success or anything. We all knew that was happening. It was more a matter of how long it would take you to come out and say it.” She put a hand on her chest. “I’mthe better friend, because I wasn’t going to rush you into anything.”

“You are not. You said they’d keep flip-flopping between who would be willing to say it,” Avery said.

“Rude,” Colette snapped. “That was supposed to just be between us.”

“Technically, that’s what happened,” Alistair said. “I mean it was Brayden who confirmed it just now, not Kyle.”

Avery turned around and looked at Alistair. “Whose side are you on?”

Alistair shrugged. “What? I’m just saying—”

“WAIT!” Sicily screamed, bringing all the attention to him. “You two are together?!”

Colette looked over at Avery with a grin. “Ooh, Idobelieve that brings us back to even.”

“Goddammit, Sicily,” Avery hissed. “Did youreallynot know?”

“No,” Sicily whimpered, deflating. “Dang it. So I really am the only single one? No love for ol’ Sis?”

“You’ll find someone, Sicily. You’re so wonderful,” Cherri said.

“You really are,” Avery tacked on. “I meant what I said at the beginning of the summer.”

That seemed to light Sicily up. “Really?”

“Wait,” Alistair said. “What’d you say?”

“Yeah,” Avery replied, totally ignoring Alistair. “You’re a catch.”

Alistair poked Avery in the back. “Avery, what’d you say?”

“Oh! Do you mean when you said you’d put him on your list?” Nikita asked.

“Nikki!” Avery yelped.

Nikita slumped further into the couch. “Oh… is that not what we’re talking about?”

“List?” I asked.

“A list of people other than your partner than you can sleep with, but it’s usually celebrities that you’d never meet,” Cherri explained quietly to me before looking at Avery. “Did you really say that? I thought you were talking about when you said if it wasn’t for Alistair—”

“Oh my god! Both of you shut your fucking mouths!” Avery hissed.

“No, no. Please continue,” Alistair said with a stone-serious face.

Avery looked back at her boyfriend. “Honey, I meant like, if I wasn’tmadlyin love with you.”

“Deon, your friends are funny,” Felicity said, petting Concrete and enjoying the show.

Alistair was leaning away from Avery and wouldn’t even look in her direction. Avery tried to give him a couple of kisses on the cheek to help, but he couldn’t be swayed for the time being. Avery turned and gave Cherri and Nikita each a death glare. “Great. Thank you both for this.”

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