But the tug of fascination won’t goaway.
“Look who itis.”
My head snaps up as Carly and her minions cross the café to hover over ourtable.
“How was prom?” I smile. “Your date lookedhot.”
“Hope you enjoyed watching him walk out thedoor.”
“Not as much as I enjoyed watching him walk backin.”
Her face turns purple. She knows what Tyler did but won’t admit it, not in front of her crew. “Too bad you missed the dance, LittleVirgin.”
I bite my lip. “The after-party more than made up forit.”
Her hand tightens on the strap of her bag. I want her to know he’s mine. She never had a shot, and now she neverwill.
“We’re not done,” she breathes. “This thing between us isn’t over until openingnight.”
I reach for my tea. “You know what, Carly? I honestly wanted you to like me once. I thought if I did the right thing, you’d approve of me. I’d fitin.”
Her brows pull together insurprise.
“But your family isn’t perfect either,” I continue, thinking of the whispered rumors about her dad’s addiction, her mom’saffairs.
From the way her attention flicks from me to the minions and back, she’s wondering if I know. She’s wondering if theydo.
I won’t spill her secrets. We all have them. I’d never hurt anyone like that, no matter what they did tome.
“You could have some compassion,” I tell her, “but instead, you push people down so that no matter how far you fall, you’re still ontop.
“This thing between us is over because it takes two people to fight and I’mout.”
I turn back to my computer, catching Pen’s eye on theway.
Once I hear the footsteps fade as Carly and her minions leave, my friend gives in to the grin. “Holy shit, you’re abadass.”
* * *
The rest of the day,I study with Pen, swim until my muscles burn, and mess around with somepoetry.
But I can’t wait for dinner, because Tyler texted to say he’d bethere.
Now he’s sitting across from me, and we’re eating lasagna, and I’d give everything I have if my dad and Haley and Sophie would disappear so I could crawl across the table and ask him to please do that thing with his tongue that makes me want him so. Fucking.Much.
“You need a dye job,” I say between bites. He’s wearing a black Henley that hugs his muscles in a decidedly groan-worthy way, and the blue in his hair’sfading.
Tyler chews thoughtfully, swallows. “You wannahelp?”
His voice is sexy. All of him’ssexy.
“Sure.”
“How was prom?” Haley asksTyler.
“Fine.”
“Better than fine,” I correct. “He won promking.”