“We’ve always been friends. All of us. No matter how much some of us bicker.” Courtney squeezed Kris’s and Luke’s hands. “Actually, we’re more than that. We’re family. And there’s no one else I’d rather celebrate the Lunar New Year with.”
The group looked around at each other. Nine college students from all over the US, brought together by fate or circumstance. They couldn’t be more different. Some of them would’ve never been friends had they met anywhere else but Shanghai. Yet here they were.
A family.
In a place as crazy and ever-changing as Shanghai, they were each other’s constants. The ones who had each other’s backs. From overcoming culture shock to crazy nights on the town, they grew into this city together, and that was a bond only they could share.
Despite the chilly air, Blake’s skin warmed. It was almost enough to make him forget about the shitshow that was the rest of his life.
A screeching whistle quieted the crowds. Every head swiveled up. A few seconds later, the night sky exploded in a dazzling display of lights. The fireworks showered the dark canvas with sprays of brilliant color—bright gold, pale green, deep red, and every hue in between. Each time one closed another bloomed, creating an endless, intricate dance that left the viewers on earth breathless.
Blake tore his gaze away from the spectacle to look at Farrah. Ribbons of light flickered across her features as she gazed up at the show, her eyes bright with excitement and a smile of awe on her face.
If he could have one wish for the rest of his life, it would be for Farrah to be as happy as she was at this moment. Always.
Blake’s arms circled her waist from behind. He pressed his cheek against hers. “Happy Lunar New Year, baby.”
Farrah snuggled deeper into his embrace. “Happy Lunar New Year, Blake.”
No one in the group said anything after that. They took comfort in each other’s presence and watched the lights fire up the heavens, so bright they turned night into day.
The dawn of a new year.
Chapter Twenty-Five
February in Shanghai was miserable. The excitement of Lunar New Year soon faded, leaving behind rain, cold, and humidity. Classes were twice as hard and the workload twice as heavy as the previous semester. Kris slipped further into a funk about her dad and losing her credit cards, and Blake was acting weird.
There were days he seemed like his regular self—cocky, charming, ready with a smile and a quick quip. Other days he was moody and distant, like his mind was a million miles away. Every time Farrah tried to figure out what was wrong, he changed the subject or distracted her with sex.
Ok, so she let herself get distracted. But not today. Today, she was going to find out what was going on, once and for all.
Step one: bribe Blake with food. Sammy’s freshly baked blueberry muffins smelled so good Farrah was tempted to eat them all herself.
No. I can’t. She had to save them for Blake. Like they say, the fastest way to a guy’s secrets was through his stomach. Or something like that.
Before going to Blake’s room, Farrah swung by the girls’ hall to change into something more enticing than leggings and a T-shirt.
As Farrah passed by Courtney’s room, Leo’s raised voice stopped her in her tracks.
“I can’t believe you kept that from me this whole time!”
Her eyes widened. She’d never heard Leo yell before, not even when Luke spilled soy sauce on his favorite scarf.
Farrah clutched the muffins tighter. Blake’s Modern Chinese History class was going to end any minute now, but morbid curiosity compelled her to step closer to Courtney’s door. She heard everything her friends said through the thin walls.
“It’s not a big deal.” Courtney sounded defiant. “We kissed once, but Nardo and I are friends. That’s it.”
It took Farrah a moment to register what Courtney said. When she did, she gasped. Did Courtney hook up with Nardo?
What. The. Fuck.
Who would hook up with Nardo when they had Leo?
Courtney and Leo must’ve heard her gasp because they fell silent.
Shit.
Before Farrah could leave, the door swung open, revealing a pissed-off Leo.
Behind him, Courtney stared at her with huge eyes.
“Hi,” Farrah said weakly. She held up her bag of treats. “I brought muffins.”
“I was just leaving.” Leo brushed past her. “Enjoy the muffins.”
Courtney crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t stop him.
“What the hell happened?” Farrah asked once Leo was out of earshot. Her mind spun. Leo and Courtney were the bedrock of the group. The first couple, even if they insisted they weren’t dating. Their relationship was part of the fabric of FEA.
“We got into a fight.”
“No! Really?”
Courtney glared at her. “Can we lay off the snark?”
“Sorry.” Farrah stepped into the room and closed the door. “So I, uh, heard something about Nardo?”
To her credit, Courtney didn’t bat an eye at the realization that Farrah had been eavesdropping. She looked down and scuffed her shoes on the floor. “We made out at the Full Moon Party.”
Farrah gasped again. Holy shit.
Her mind’s eye rewound to that night. It was a blur of music and alcohol and dancing beneath the stars, but she remembered Courtney and Nardo being gone for a while. Back then, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but now…
“I thought you guys were in the bathroom for a long time!”
“There was a long line! And it’s not like we had sex. We only kissed.”
Farrah pinched her temple. She had so many questions she didn’t know where to start. “Why did you kiss him in the first place?”
Out of all the guys in the program, Nardo was the last person she’d expected Courtney to cheat on Leo with (not that she expected Courtney to cheat at all). Nardo was pretentious, insufferable, and not even that cute unless you’re into the preppy hipster type. Meanwhile, Leo was smart and kind and beautiful and, well, better in every way.
“I dunno.”
“Court.”
Courtney sighed. “I was drunk and pissed at Leo about our fight earlier that day, and Nardo was looking at me like…like he would never say the things Leo said to me. The kiss just happened. It’s a shitty excuse, but that’s the truth.” She looked down again. “It was a one-time thing. It’s not like we were having an affair this entire time. Nardo and I don’t like each other like that. The kiss confirmed it.”
Farrah was torn. A part of her knew Courtney was wrong for cheating on Leo. That was the one thing she’d never tolerate in a relationship—cheating. It wasn’t about the physical act. It was about the trust. Once broken, it was hard, if not impossible, to mend.
Still, Courtney was one of her closest friends. She brought Farrah chicken soup when she was sick, held her hair when she had too much to drink, and was always a call or text away when shit went south. Sure, she could be bossy and entitled, but she had a good heart. She was also the core of the group.
If Farrah had to choose between Courtney and Leo, she knew who she’d choose. One hundred percent.
“So why’d you tell Leo now?” she asked. She tried to keep her tone as non-judgmental as possible. “Thailand was a long time ago.”