CECILY
“Who got you smiling like that?”
I have no idea how I manage not to flinch and then calmly place the phone on the table.
We’re in the kitchen that’s filled with purple and pink chairs, utensils, and curtains. Even the fridge wrapper and dishes have some of those colors, thanks to the two girly fashionistas Glyn and I share a space with.
Ava sits across from me, waffle in hand while she licks the syrup that’s managed to escape from her fingers.
She finally woke up when I announced I got us waffles. Her hair is gathered in a messy bun, and she has a white de-puffing mask on. Add that to the constant groaning and moaning about last night and it’s like I’m in the company of a whiny ghost.
I busy myself with cutting a piece of waffle to avoid meeting her gaze. “Oh, nothing. Just some meme.”
Please don’t let it show on my face that I’m giddier than usual this morning.
“Uh-huh. Didn’t know memes made you look like you’re in love.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I pour some orange juice and slide it in her direction. “Eat up or you’ll be late to school.”
“Try again.” She lifts her leg up on the chair and hugs her knee, then brings the waffle to her mouth while she narrows her eyes at me. “SoooI might have been drunk,but,and this is the important part,I remember things.”
Blimey.
I’d hoped she was too hammered to remember stuff—she usually doesn’t. Or maybe she only pretends she doesn’t.
Mimicking a monk’s serenity, I take a sip of my coffee. “Things like what?”
“Like how Jeremy was at the club last night.”
That’s not so bad. I can work with it. “He probably goes to all the clubs on the island. That’s not weird.”
“The fact that he talked to you is. He was close.” She holds her thumb and forefinger a hairsbreadth apart. “This close.”
“You were drunk. You probably saw it wrong.”
“Did I also see it wrong when he got into your car with his silent scary mate? Or when you were talking to him outside my room? He was right here last night! Well, not here in the kitchen, but here in the flat.”
My ears heat despite my extensive attempts to appear unaffected. That alone gives Ava the answer she’s been playing detective to find.
“OMG! You totally shagged him in the club, didn’t you?”
“Ava!”
“You did!” She all but rips the mask from her face, revealing her shocked expression. “You smelled like him, and you had these puffy lips, watery eyes, and flushed cheeks. I think I’m going into a state of shock.”
“Hey—”
She holds up a hand. “I just need a moment to process things.”
I grow stiffer in my chair, and my T-shirt starts to stick to my back with sweat the longer I wait for her.
Ava opens her mouth a few times, then shakes her head and clamps it shut before she finally asks, “Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Everything I heard and saw and eventually deduced?”
I nod. It’s useless to hide it from her anyway. She would’ve found out sooner or later.