Page 105 of Best Vacation Ever

The curtains to the balcony are drawn shut leaving the room mostly dark as I slip in.

“Adam, I told you I’mfine. This doting brother thing is getting a bit excessive,” Faye says, adding a laugh at the end.

I pass the little hall where the bathroom is, dropping my beach bag on the floor and come into view. She’s in bed with the thin covers pulled up to her neck.

“Oh,” she says, sitting up and switching on the bedside lamp. “Hey, Lori.”

“Hey,” I say, stopping at the end of her bed. This hesitancy and awkwardness isn’t normal for us, but then again neither is fighting. “I heard you fell. You okay?”

Her damp hair is drying in its normal waves, and she smells like pineapple shampoo.

“Yeah, just a mild concussion according to the hotel doctor.

I don’t need to go to the hospital, but he told me to rest for my headache. Adam kicked everyone out after.”

“Good,” I say, not knowing what to do with my arms. I settle for wrapping them around my chest.

“So,” she starts, “that was awesome, back there. Standing up to Adam then kneeing that dude in the dick.”

I bite my lip to hold back my smile. “Yeah, it really was.”

Faye gets comfortable against the headboard. “And get this!

After you left, some huge dude named Terry came over!”

I sit on my bed. Terry? The guy from the bar that wanted to fight Dylan for accidentally spilling his beer?

“And he waspissed,” Faye continues. “He came over saying thatAlessiowas sleeping with hisgirlfriend!”

My jaw drops. “Priyasha is his girlfriend?”

A shocked look replaces her scandalized one. “Wait, youknewabout it?”

My cheeks heat. “I kind of walked in on Alessio and Priyasha last night.”

Faye gasps. “Like while he was midstroke—”

“Ew! Faye!” I cut her off, trying to block the mental image.

Despite the grossness of it, I feel like laughing. Everything about this conversation, while weird, is some and Faye. It feels like everything is back to normal between us, like that fight didn’t happen.

“But yes, I saweverything,” I continue, holding back a shudder.

“Wow,” she says, leaning back again. “Alessio and Priyasha.

Poor Olivia, I hope she kicks his ass.”

I try not to think about what Adam said, that Alessio wasn’t going to come clean to Olivia. Now thateveryoneknows, I wonder if his plans have changed.

“So, what happened with Terry?” I ask, crossing my legs on my bed and settling in.

A light sparks in Faye’s eyes, the same one that goes off when she has interesting gossip to share. She tells me what happened right up until she slipped and fell.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, gesturing to her head.

“Yeah. I just need some rest, and I’m supposed to stay out of the light and avoid loud noises. So, no clubbing for me tonight.”

I raise a skeptical eyebrow at her. Faye’s never been able to sit still and justbe. She’s probably hating the prospect of having to sit out parties these last two nights of our vacation.