spend every hour discussing wedding details in the other car, and no offense”—he speaks to Jane—“I couldn’t withstand that.”
“None taken, little brother.” She smiles brightly, genuinely, and looks between her brother and Moffy, who’s her best friend. Glad that there is less friction between them.
I am too.
But with all three of them merrily together like they were in high school, it makes me feel more on the outs. I’m now the only one with a busted-up friendship. Beckett.
He’s not here.
Obviously. And I don’t even know why Maximoff, Jane, and Charlie have showed up yet.
But I point out, “Couldn’t you have just rented your own car?”
“Yeah?” Moffy says to Charlie with a rising smile. “I could’ve sworn that was an option, wasn’t it?”
Charlie clearly chose Moffy rather than going off on his own. Instead of acknowledging this, Charlie zeroes in on my face like a target. “Enough about me. Aren’t we here for you, Sulli?”
“That’s fucking news to me.” I smile though because I guessed right, and fuck it feels good to know that they’re here for me.
Maximoff crosses his arms over his firm chest, confusion knotting his brows. “You and Banks were in the bathroom together?”
My smile vanishes. Cheeks heating. “Because of the scorpion—he was helping me catch it,” I say quickly. “It was in the bathroom.” I jab a thumb to the bathroom behind me. “I mean, kind of catch it. He fucking killed it. But…yeah.”
They can’t tell that I just had the most epic kiss of my life, right? My lips aren’t red or anything. My hair isn’t messy. Strands are just damp, air-drying. And I’m in PJs. Nothing out of the ordinary.
It’s late.
And it’s not like I want to hide kissing Banks. But Akara should know first. Out of respect for him. As my bodyguard.
As my friend. If we’re even still that to each other.
I just don’t want to lose Akara.
Charlie plops down on the bed like it’s not stained or infested with bed bugs. Do I understand Charlie Cobalt?
Not always, not really.
Some fans think we’re friends by my association to Beckett, his twin brother. Paparazzi ask me a lot about Charlie: what he’s like; what he’s doing. But truth is, being Beckett’s best friend growing up didn’t provide a gateway into Charlie’s mind. We used to hang out, sure, but most of the time I feel like Charlie tolerated me like he would a little sister or a source of happiness to his closest brother.
I love him because of Beckett, who always sees the heart in Charlie.
“That must be why your foot is swollen,” Charlie says.
My foot…I totally forgot about the sting. I have a fucking alibi!
Shit, I have evidence.
“Yeah…” I trail off, looking down. Wow, the ball of my left foot has really swelled up. Tonight’s events must’ve dulled the pain. I wince a little as I put more pressure on it.
Jane drags a wooden chair over from the rickety desk. “You should sit down.”
Moffy treks to the bathroom, probably to get a cold washcloth. The one that Banks forgot about.
We both forgot.
I lower onto the creaky chair.
“Your shirt is on backwards,” Charlie says from the bed.
“That’s unhelpful commentary, Charlie,” Jane says to her brother, but her blue eyes flash to me with curiosity and questions.
Does she believe Banks and I had sex? She has major reason to think so now than ever before. They all know that I told Banks and Akara it’d be cool if they took my virginity.
Lifting my feet to the chair, I hug my legs to my chest. “Just so we’re fucking crystal,” I announce, “my virginity is still intact.”
Maximoff reenters the bedroom with a washcloth just as I finish that bit. His eyes bug wide. “Were we questioning that it wasn’t?” His head swings to Jane for clarification.
Jane perches her hands on her hips. “Charlie was insinuating—”
Charlie cuts in with a laugh. “How was I insinuating anything by bringing up her backwards shirt?”
Jane arches a brow. “You can’t play dumb with me.”
His lip curves upward, then motions to my shirt. “Sulli must have a reasonable explanation.”
I shrug, my pulse speeding as the three of them stare me down from different ends of the room. “I took a shower. Put on my shirt backwards. Can we just move on from the whole Banks thing because it’d be really fucking awesome to know why you’re all here? How’d you even know where to find us?”
“Your Jeep has a tracker on it,” Maximoff reminds me as he places the washcloth on my