The Moth and the Flame (When Rivals Play #2) - B.B. Reid Page 0,147
me the rest of my days.”
“You tell me,” Jamie countered with a knowing look.
“Are you asking me to share my feelings? Should I get the tissues?”
He barked out a laugh. “You’re a dick, you know that?”
I shrugged. “I may have heard that a time or two.”
“You know he’s not going to stay away,” Jamie warned.
“It’s been a week, and he hasn’t come crawling.” I quickly flattened my lips when I realized I was pouting. “I think he knows better than that.”
Jamie laughed as he blew smoke in the air. “I just saw you face down a monster with nothing but a wing and a prayer and win. I know you’re not that naïve.”
I looked away so that he wouldn’t see my heart galloping in my eyes and stared down at my empty ring finger. I’d only worn it for a few days, but it had already left its mark. “He’s not going to come.”
And even if he did, it wouldn’t change anything.
Wren and I could never go back to a time when he didn’t kill my parents.
The next evening, I wandered into the kitchen with Jamie by my side and found Ever glaring down at a small notebook as if it had personally offended him. Vaughn and Tyra were also there, but they seemed more interested in each other than their friend’s woes.
Jamie let out a loud groan when his gaze landed on his cousin. “Dude, why don’t you just buy her diamond earrings for Christmas? Bitches love diamonds.”
My eyes nearly popped out of my head as I took a subtle step away from Jamie. I still didn’t know Ever all that well, but he seemed like a no-nonsense kind of guy. I couldn’t chance getting an elbow to the face if they came to blows. Jamie was clearly baiting Ever and knowing the reason why only made me more curious. Anyone with eyes could see that Ever was irrevocably in love with Four. He didn’t see anyone else when she was in the room.
I could tell by the way Vaughn and Tyra tensed that my assessment was spot on. However, Ever didn’t react. After only a withering glare, he returned to staring at his drawing. The bleakness I glimpsed in his eyes might have been the reason.
In all my grief, I’d forgotten that Ever had just been reunited with his mother thanks to my treacherous, former best friend. The reunion couldn’t have been heartwarming considering Evelyn had found that her husband and son had both moved on with another family.
Curious, I inched closer until I could see over his shoulder. Jamie, Vaughn, and Tyra had also moved forward.
“It’s missing something,” Ever said to no one in particular.
We all studied Ever’s sketch, and after a full minute passed, I figured we’d all drawn a blank until Jamie shouted, “Pigtails!”
“When have you ever seen Four wear pigtails?” Tyra argued.
“Maybe she should,” he shot back with a grin. “And high…like a naughty girl.”
Frowning, Tyra propped a hand on her hip. “How would you—”
“Know?” Jamie finished. “Those walls upstairs are thinner than you think.” He winked, causing Tyra to blush before scowling at Vaughn. It seemed Jamie knew more than Tyra was comfortable with.
While Jamie and Tyra bickered back and forth, I studied the wicked looking skull and concluded that Jamie was right although, as usual, his delivery sucked. Even for a tomboy like Four, the skull was too masculine. The pigtails would help soften it and even give it a Harley Quinn vibe. And what guy didn’t want their very own Harley Q?
Still, I wasn’t a part of their inner circle, so I didn’t think they’d welcome me taking sides. Glancing at Vaughn, I wondered if he’d step in, but unfortunately, he looked his usual bored self as he tossed back peanut M&Ms.
“He’s right,” I heard myself saying. I instantly regretted it when Tyra and Jamie immediately fell silent, and Vaughn paused mid-chew.
Ever was slower to react, but when he looked over his shoulder, he didn’t seem at all annoyed. Only curious. “Yeah?”
I slowly nodded when I couldn’t find my voice. I wasn’t usually passive, but it was safe to say that I’d lost myself in those mountains. When Ever smirked and lifted a brow, as if goading me to grow a pair, I cleared my throat and said more firmly, “Draw the pigtails.”
He held my gaze for a few more seconds, and when I wouldn’t fold, he turned back around with an approving nod and said, “Sounds good.”