Page 28

I don’t think I can stand being something that Sebastian Sinclair regrets.

“Ready, princess?” Sebastian asks, and I nod. We start to walk across the parking lot, and I feel his hand brush against the small of my back. “Have you ever been bowling before?” he asks teasingly, his voice back to its usual timbre now, and I shake my head.

“You know I haven’t.”

“I don’t,” he cocks his head, raising one eyebrow playfully as he grabs the door for me. “Who knows? Maybe the powerful and feared Antony Gallo took his kids out bowling when they were little. Who am I to judge?”

“Yeah, right,” I roll my eyes as I step inside. “My dad wouldn’t be caught dead within ten miles of this place.”

The moment I step inside, I’m hit with a sensory assault that’s strange and exciting all at once. The bowling alley iscrowded, full of people of all ages—from a middle-aged group of women all wearing matching polo shirts to a group of teenagers, to parents with their kids, and what looks like couples in their early twenties out for date night. The air is thick with the smell of beer, fried food, and grease, and music is pulsing from the speakers overhead, the lights from the lanes flashing in the dim interior.

It only takes me a moment to spot Marilee and the others. I gesture to Sebastian, pointing them out, and he nudges me in their direction. “I’ll grab us a couple of beers and something to eat,” he says, and I frown at him.

“Aren’t you supposed to make sure I’m safe here?” I tease him, and his expression darkens.

“Don’t worry, princess. I won’t let you out of my sight for a minute.”

“Estella!” Marilee squeals my name the moment she sees me, rushing over to envelop me in a hug that smells of her sugary perfume and the faintest hint of beer. “You came! I wasn’t sure you would.” She pulls back, her smile dropping. “I’m so sorry about your brother, ‘Stel. I wanted to call, or send a card, or something… but I didn’t know what to say. I’m so bad at these things. I feel like an awful friend, I should have said something?—”

I blink at her, confused. “How did you know?”

“Cora.” Marilee gestures back toward the group. “She was in journalism, remember? She works at the paper. They’ve got her on obits while she’s working her way up.”

I stare at her, still confused. The gears of my brain feel stuck.

“Obituaries.” Marilee looks at me with a hint of concern, and I feel my thoughts start churning again.

“Oh! Of course. I—” I shake my head, swallowing hard. “It’s fine. Of course, it’s fine… these things are hard. I’ve barely even looked at my phone, honestly, so?—”

“I didn’t think you’d come. I would have totally understood if you hadn’t, but I’m so glad you’re here.” She smiles at me, a real, genuine smile that meets her eyes and lights up her whole face, and my chest tightens. I should have put more effort into these friendships, I realize. Pretty soon, they’re going to be harder to keep than ever. I could have a real, lifelong friend in Marilee—but we’re so different. More different than she realizes, and I don’t know how to bridge that gap.

“I didn’t want to miss your birthday.” I hug her again, suddenly very glad I came despite everything. “Especially since you made it to mine.”

“And you brought a friend.” Marilee’s gaze drifts over my shoulder, and I realize that Sebastian must be behind me. “A very attractive friend.” Her smile turns sly, and I know she’s assumed who Sebastian and I are to each other right off the bat.And why wouldn’t she?It’s not as if having a bodyguard is a normal thing when I’m not some kind of celebrity or politician’s child.

“Happy birthday,” Sebastian says, and I can hear a hint of amusement in his voice. My cheeks heat.

“This is Marilee,” I say quickly, stepping back so I can introduce them. “Marilee, this is Sebastian.”

“Thanks for coming!” Marilee says enthusiastically. “I’m glad ‘Stel found someone, honestly. All the boys in college were scared of her, I think. She was too hot for any of them.”

“I’m no exception to that,” Sebastian says, and I can hear the undercurrent of gravity in his voice. He’s more right than Marilee knows, except the real reason has nothing to do with my looks and everything to do with the family that I was born into. “Where can I set all of this down?”

“Oh! We’re right over here. Follow me.” Marilee gestures for us to follow her, and leads us over to a table in front of one of the lanes, where I see Cora and Rachel sitting with two guys—andanother guy on the other side of Cora, scrolling on his phone as he reaches for his beer. “I’ll introduce you to everyone else.”

The next few minutes pass in a flurry of introductions. Cora and Rachel introduce their boyfriends—Nick and Brad—and the other guy, whose name is Tyler. He looks up at me, brushing his floppy, sandy blond hair away from his face, and his blue eyes pin me in a way that instantly makes my skin prickle uncomfortably. I can tell he’s interested, and I can tell that he’s not put off by Sebastian.

I introduce Sebastian as a friend, and everyone except Tyler seems to assume that he’s ‘that’ kind of friend. Cora and Rachel are already teasing me about it, half-tipsy and cheering me on for having caught such a devastatingly hot guy. But I can see Tyler sizing him up.

As if he’d have a chance.

I reach for the beer that Sebastian bought me—sitting right next to a plate of nachos that look like nothing I’ve ever eaten before, and take a sip. It’s sour and burns the back of my throat, and I have to fight not to gag. Sebastian quickly plucks it out of my hand, his lips twitching as he leans in.

“First time trying beer, princess?”

“You know it is.” I swat at his chest, coughing and embarrassed over my reaction. “Did you think I’d like it?”

He shrugs. “There’s a first time for everything.” His gaze catches mine, and for a moment, I feel the air thicken between us again. “Maybe I wanted to get to be one of your firsts, princess.”