“You didn’t have to come back for me,” I said, tilting my head to the side just a bit, impressed that I’d even been on her mind at all. Two days ago, she probably would have used any excuse to stay away from me that she could. And I would have done the same.
There’s a disturbance in the force…and maybe it’s not just me.
Lyra paused and pressed her eyebrows together as she shrugged. “Nah, you were a good excuse. No big deal. Don’t let it go to your head. ”
“Well, you know that’s impossible,” I said with a flirty wink. I hadn’t tried to flirt with Lyra in over a year. It felt new, yet familiar…and I had to admit that it freaked me out a little. I wasn’t the kind of guy to flirt when attached. I was overly loyal in that way.
“You’re impossible,” Lyra scoffed, tucking her hair behind her ear and rolling her eyes.
“Hey, I thought we had a truce?”
“We do,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m here getting your pill, aren’t I?
“Good point,” I said with a nod before draining the rest of the water. “Thanks for that.”
“Sure thing,” she said, rising to her feet.
Don’t go. Not yet. I really gotta figure this out.
“Well, I’ll let you rest,” she said, patting my thigh as she lingered next to the bed. “You’ve had a long day. Hopefully tomorrow will be much better.”
“Yeah,” I said, swallowing hard. “Night.”
Lyra smiled and closed my door on her way out of the room. I flopped onto my side and stared at the oak door, stunned and in disbelief.
My world was shifting, and I had no idea how I felt about it…or how to stop it.
One thing was certain. Everything made much more sense before Craig Fucking Wyndham thrust himself back into my life.
Motherfucking Craig. Thanks a lot, asshole.
Chapter 8
Lyra
It was late afternoon when it happened. Dev and I were lounging in the living area of our suite after returning from a late lunch down at the bar. Dev had managed to get downstairs on the crutches from Dr. Ashlynn and had switched to Advil for his pain, abandoning the rest of his Percocet. He was cozied up in the fluffy armchair with his injured foot resting on the ottoman, his earbuds popped in. I could hear Jay-Z blaring from his ears as I attempted to get back into my book, rereading the same paragraph over and over again. Finally, in a huff, I slammed the book shut and tossed it to the side. Dev raised an eyebrow as I reached for the television remote.
“Problem?”
“Nope,” I said, avoiding eye contact. I was irritated, but I didn’t want to fight with him. Despite how swollen his ankle was, he was being a good sport, insisting on getting things for himself, and he even paid the check at lunch despite my protests. He said it was the least he could do for me coming back the night before to get him his pill on time. He was being…nice. Like really nice, and I wanted to maintain the truce. As much as I hated to admit it, I was starting to enjoy his company…until rap was blaring from his ears and filling the small room.
“Lyra.” He tilted his head to the side, pulling one bud from his ear.
“It’s just a little loud. I’m having trouble concentrating. I think I’ve read this same sentence about six times.”
“It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you put your book down every once in a while.” He pursed his lips.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
He looked puzzled. “For real?”
“Yeah.”
His mouth pulled into a sour grin. “C’mon, Bookworm, there’s more to life than reading the same books from the 1800s.”
“What is your problem with Jane Austen? You’re, like, obsessed with the fact that I love her.”
Dev leaned forward, pressing his hands into the chair. “I’m obsessed? I’m obsessed?”
“Okay, fine, whatever. I like what I like. And to me, there’s something comforting in reading the same words, the same stories, knowing how it’s all going to end.”
“Wow,” he said, easing back into his seat. Now it was my turn to lean forward, unsure of what that word meant.
“What?”
“You’re what, thirty years old? Shouldn’t a hot, single thirty-year-old crave adventure instead of comfort?”
I shifted in my seat, wondering if he was right about me. I was regimented, yes. I liked routines, reading the same books, listening to the same playlists. That didn’t mean I was boring, did it?
“Look, just because I read doesn’t mean I don’t like adventures. I’m adventurous. I’m spontaneous.”
“Name something you’ve done recently.”
With a salty laugh, I sneered at him. “Skiing.”
He closed his eyes and laughed under his breath, tapping his chest with his hand. “I deserved that, didn’t I?”
“Little bit,” I said, chuckling.
And then it happened. The lights, the television, everything went dark. We lost power.
“What the fuck?” Dev said, pulling the other bud from his ear and tossing them to the side.
“I think the power went out.” I said, jumping to my feet and pulling back the curtains to shed some natural light on the room. “It’s not even snowing anymore. This is crazy.”
“How does a hotel lose power? Is that even a thing?”
I shrugged. “Apparently so.”
“Maybe it’ll come back on soon. Sun hasn’t gone down yet.”
“But when it does…” My words trailed off as I glanced around the room, knowing we’d be sitting in silence with dead phones.
“How much battery do you have?” I asked, looking at the phone on his lap.
“Eighty percent.”
“That’s good. Call the front desk.”
“I don’t know the number.”
I let out a sardonic laugh. “Google it. It’s not rocket science.”
Dev narrowed his eyes. “Hey! Truce.”
“Fine, sorry,” I said, plopping myself back on the couch, pulling my knees up and wrapping my arms around them.
“I’m on hold.”
“I’m sure everyone’s calling right now. Maybe I should just go down there.”
“Only if you want to. Obviously, I’m not volunteering.” He pointed at his foot and ran his hand through his silky black hair, a flashy grin on his handsome face.
He really is so gorgeous…but then again, his looks were never the problem, were they?
“Okay,” I said, hopping back off the couch and grabbing my key card from the kitchen counter. As much as I hated to admit it, I could use a little distance from Nice Dev. He was making me feel all kinds of disarmed.
“I’ll be back in a bit,” I said, not making eye contact as I grabbed the door.
“Be safe,” he called after me. The door closed behind me and I leaned into the door, sighing with relief.
It’s just Dev, Lyra. You hate him, remember?
But I wasn’t so sure…not anymore.
Emergency lights cast a glow in the otherwise darkened hallway as I made my way to the stairwell, wishing that sexy grin hadn’t affected me so much. In a daze, I didn’t look behind me as I pushed on the heavy metal door to the stairwell.