Lyra sighed, sitting on the couch. “I thought we had a truce.”
“Yeah, well, happy fucking New Year, Khaleesi. Prepare for war.”
Chapter 10
LYRA
I didn’t sleep at all. Not one minute.
I tossed and I turned thinking about the sharp turn everything took the second our friends walked in and I let go of Dev’s hand.
Why did I let go?
Things with Dev and I have always, and I mean always, been complicated. And if I could think of a better word than “complicated,” I would.
Arduous?
Perplexing?
Convoluted?
No word seemed big enough for the complexities that we brought to the table whenever we were in the same room. We were fire and ice, oil and water, all of those things that are total opposites and work to extinguish the other. In a word, we were a nightmare.
But if we were such a horrible pair, why were things feeling so easy, so good, so…tempting before our friends walked through the door. Why was I more turned on by him holding my hand then I was by any man I’d dated in the last two years?
Why?
A soft knock on the door startled me and I sat up, fixing my hair, wondering if it might be Dev wanting to make peace. As angry as I was at him, I could be convinced if Nice Dev made a return. Before I had a chance to check my morning breath, Maren peeked her head in. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t just a little disappointed.
“Can I come in?” Her expression was gentle, her long hair up in a loose bun.
“Sure.” I tried really hard to fake a smile, but I knew Maren would never fall for my lame attempt. Luckily, she held a small tray with two steaming cups of coffee and fresh old-fashioned donuts.
“Wow, I don’t feel worthy of breakfast in bed.”
Maren shrugged and placed the tray in the middle of the bed and she climbed up, sitting cross legged opposite me. “It’s nothing. Plus, I know you love these things. We stopped on our way here last night.”
I inhaled the dark roast coffee, the steam tickling the tip of my nose. “That was super sweet of you. And you have no idea how badly I need this right now. I didn’t sleep at all.”
“I had a feeling.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“C’mon, Lyra. You have zero acting ability—you wear your heart on your sleeve, always have. If something’s bothering you, I’m gonna know. And last night, it was so obvious, but I can’t quite figure it out. I mean, I know you and Dev don’t usually get along, but there was some major tension brewing when we walked in. So much that I felt guilty for showing up.”
My cheeks grew hot, and I pinched my eyes tight, hating it was so obvious to our friends.
“Does everyone know?”
“Nah, just me. Peter didn’t notice anything, and the other two don’t even know you as well as he does. I figured we could talk before you have to go out there.” She looked over her shoulder, gesturing to the living area of the suite.
“I don’t know where to begin.”
“So, I’m right, aren’t I? You two are into each other?”
“Were.”
She flinched. “Past tense already? That’s awfully fast.”
“It ended as quickly as it began, I guess.”
“Okay, you have to start at the beginning.”
I filled Maren in on the tension of the weekend, on the truce pancakes and the skiing accident. I told her about my lame-ass date with Craig and how much fun Dev and I had hanging out and playing board games, him calling me Khaleesi and being obsessed about Rogelio. When I got to the handholding, she gasped.
“What?” I asked, surprised. My friend was in no way a Pollyanna, and I wondered if she was judging me. I didn’t consider what we did “cheating,” but maybe Maren saw it differently. I braced myself for her response.
“That’s seriously hot.”
I sighed with relief, running my fingers through my hair as I remembered how every nerve had been awakened when he ran his fingers over my warm skin.
“I know,” I said, grabbing a donut and taking a bite. The soft, rich pastry comforted me, but not nearly enough. “For something so subtle, so…what’s the word?”
“Simple?” Maren asked with wide eyes. “Sweet?”
“Innocent,” I said with a decisive nod. “For something so innocent, it was such a turn-on. I’m so serious.”
“Sounds like it. I always knew Dev was a romantic at heart.”
“It was this perfect moment, Mare. And I’ll never get it back. It’s over already.”
“Why?”
“You guys came in, and I yanked my hand away. He must think I’m embarrassed of him or something.”
“He has a point. The guy’s annoyed you since the day you met.”
“I know, I know, but it was only because he tried too hard, you know? I hate that. But this weekend, he hasn’t; he’s just been himself. Or at least I think I saw the real him. I have no idea what’s real anymore.”
“I hate to bring up the elephant in the room.”
I nodded, knowing exactly who she was talking about. “Trupti, I know. I’m not a cheater, Mare.”
“I know. Where do you think his head’s at with that? Should I ask Peter?”
“No, absolutely not. Like I said, it’s done. We shared a sweet moment, and now things are back to the way they’ve always been. Totally at odds. Worst thing is, he called me Khaleesi again. When he first said it hours before, he was flirty and cute, but this time there was venom in his words. He totally changed it, and I hate him for that.”
“You don’t hate him.” She shook her head slowly back and forth with a sympathetic smile.
“Ugh, I know. That’s the problem. You have no idea how badly I want to go back in time to the day you asked me to come with you on this trip. I’d have said ‘hell no’ and spent my New Year’s weekend reading books in my PJs and bingeing The Handmaid’s Tale. And eating these donuts. These are amazing!”
“Well, that sounds depressing.”
“Hey, that show is genius.”
She put one hand up in surrender as she sipped her coffee. “Not disputing that. I just think this can still be fixed. We just need to figure out how to do it.”
Finishing the last of my donut, I waved her off. “Absolutely not. It is what it is. He has a girlfriend, and we’re back to the old Dev and Lyra. It was like Halley’s comet or something.”
“What? You anticipate it for years and suddenly it’s here?”
“Yep, then you blink and that shit is gone. And it won’t come back during your lifetime.”
Maren smirked.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh my God, just say it.”
“That’s totally a joke Dev would make.”
“Get out of my room,” I deadpanned, kicking her gently from beneath my blankets. She let out a laugh in response.
“I’m serious, c’mon…Halley’s comet?”
“What? It popped in my head!”
“I just think it’s cute, that’s all. You two have been here for a few days, maybe you’re rubbing off on each other.”