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“I was safe,” I assure her, rubbing her back.
“No. Safe around us. I don’t want you to hide your pain anymore.”
My throat tightens. I have no clue what I’m supposed to say to that. I just continue rubbing her back in small, comforting circles.
“I’m not in pain, Anika.”
“Liar,” she murmurs.
It takes a couple of minutes before we finally separate. When we do, I offer her a small, encouraging smile.
“You don’t have to worry about me, Anika. I’m the big sister.”
She shrugs. “Just don’t do that again.”
I don’t agree to that because I don’t want to make any false promises. And I don’t think she expects me to, either.
“Okay, now tell me about the car that dropped you off,” Anika says.
My eyes widen. “You saw that?”
I was hoping she hadn’t because then I wouldn’t have to explain, but it’s clear I won’t be that lucky tonight.
“Yeah, of course. I heard the car coming up the street and then it stopped in front of my house. Imagine my surprise when I looked out the window to see my sister stepping out of the back seat. I couldn’t see who was inside, though.”
I shrug, trying to come up with a good excuse. “It was an Uber?” I offer.
Anika’s eyes narrow. “Come on, Emilia. That car looked way too expensive to be an Uber. Tell me the truth. Who was driving?”
I look straight forward, biting down on the corner of my lip.
“Callum,” I reply forcefully.
“Callum?” she asks, confused. I glance at her expression and she seems to be struggling to make sense of that. And then she gasps. “Holy shit. Callum as in the Harringtons’ driver?”
I sigh softly. Of course she knows him.
“He used to drive us to the school all the time when we were kids,” Anika murmurs. “Wait. If Callum drove you home, does that mean you were with Sterling Harrington?”
It’s hard to miss the excitement in her tone.
“No, I wasn’t with him. We ran into each other,” I correct.
Anika’s expression practically screams disbelief. I sigh.
“I’m serious, Nika. We just ran into each other. I don’t know why or how it keeps happening. And then he called Callum over and asked him to take me home despite my protests.”
“Okay so let me get this straight,” my sister starts. “After you left the house, you met up with Sterling?—”
“No!” I exclaim. “I said we ran into each other. Get it together, Nika.”
She laughs. “Sorry, but this is too good. So not only were you with Sterling but he also called his driver to ensure you made it back home? That’s nice, sissy. I thought you two hated each other.”
“He was trying to be nice,” I mutter.
“Sterling isn’t nice,” Anika states. “He’s an asshole and yet he’s doing all these things for you? Something fishy is going on.”
“No. Nothing fishy. This entire situation is clean as hell. There are absolutely no odd smells and there’s nothing suspicious. It’s just a random encounter, Anika. Seriously.”