Page 89 of Better When Shared (Kristin Lance Anthologies #2)

Skylar

I sat at the corner table of Dockside Cafe with my fingers wrapped around my coffee mug so tight my knuckles went white, trying to look like a normal human being who didn’t have two ridiculously hot guys camping out in her tiny house.

The clattering dishes and tourist chatter should have provided enough cover for my anxiety, but I could feel my grandmother watching me with that all-knowing look that made me want to crawl under the table and die.

How could she have invited them both out here? Didn’t she know how it would ruin everything?

“Your pancakes are getting cold,”

Hui said, gesturing with her teacup toward my plate where blueberry pancakes sat untouched, syrup congealing around the edges.

“I’m not hungry,”

I muttered, but stabbed at the stack anyway, pushing blueberries into little syrupy patterns that spelled out “HELP ME.”

Makai sat across from me, infuriatingly relaxed in a faded surf competition t-shirt, his sun-bleached dark hair falling into his eyes. Unlike me, he was demolishing a pile of hash browns and eggs like he hadn’t eaten in days.

“So,”

he said, pausing to sip his coffee.

“are they full-on brawling over you yet, or just bickering? I need details.”

I flipped him off.

“Not funny.”

“A little funny.”

He grinned, the laugh lines around his eyes crinkling.

“It’s not every day my business partner has two hot guys show up unannounced to profess their undying love.”

“They didn’t—”

I started, then caught myself. What had they professed, exactly? We’d never put labels on whatever this was. And the guys hadn’t known I’d been flirting with them both.

It had evolved naturally, the late-night gaming sessions turning into ongoing text conversations. And the conversations had evolved from strategy tips to life stories to explicit, sensual descriptions of what we’d do to each other if we ever met.

And now they were here, in my space, making it impossible to hide behind the screen. Forcing me to make an impossible choice.

“Did they know about each other?”

Makai asked.

“I mean, we’re all friends. They know each other.”

“Answer the question, Skylar.”

Makai’s twitching lips told me he already knew the truth. That I had been sexting both of my best friends in separate DMs at the same time.

My mind betrayed me again, flashing to how Kiaan had looked stepping out of my grandmother’s car, painfully beautiful, all sharp angles and intensity. And Ryker—Jesus, those shoulders. The way his t-shirt stretched across his chest. Photos hadn’t done either of them justice.

“Fuck me,”

I groaned, letting my head fall forward.

“Kiaan scheduled a helicopter ride for this afternoon. A helicopter! What do I even do with that?”

Makai’s eyes widened.

“I don’t know, that sounds pretty damn cool. If you don’t want to go, I’ll go for you.”

I shook my head.

“It’s not cool. It’s excessive. It’s—it’s—”

I struggled to find the right word.

“It’s Kiaan. I used to think he was bragging, but now I wonder if that’s just how he is. At least since he became a millionaire.”

“And the other one? The firefighter?”

Makai asked, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

“Ryker won’t stop fixing things. First the porch rail, then last night, he fixed some plumbing leak. This morning, he was in the shop sawing something. Who knows, he’s probably building me a guest bedroom as we speak.”

Hui sipped her jasmine tea, steam curling around her immaculate silver bob.

“Both sound like very thoughtful gestures.”

I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Speaking of which, how did you convince them both to come here without telling me?”

“I have my ways,”

Hui said, supremely unconcerned.

“Nainai,”

I pressed.

She sighed, setting down her teacup with deliberate precision.

“You left the chat open on your laptop when you came for dinner last week. I had a nice conversation with Kiaan, then later with both boys.”

My stomach dropped through the floor.

“You went through my private messages?”

“I didn’t scroll back and read your business,”

she clarified, adjusting her red-framed glasses.

“I just saw the new ones pop up. They were both very polite.”

Heat crawled up my neck as I thought about some of the not-so-polite exchanges I’d had with both of them. I desperately hoped that Hui hadn’t seen even an inkling of that.

“Oh my god,”

I slumped back against my chair.

“Nainai, you can’t just—that’s an invasion of privacy!”

Makai choked on his coffee, trying to suppress a laugh. I kicked him under the table.

“Not helpful.”

“Sorry, Sky,”

he said.

“But you’ve got to admit, it’s kind of amazing that your grandma managed to get both your online boyfriends here in person.”

“They’re not my boyfriends,”

I insisted, stabbing at my pancakes with renewed vigor.

“They’re just fellow gamers with good banter.”

And occasional very raunchy flirting.

“Seems like they want to be boyfriends,” Hui said.

“The tall one looks at you like you hung the moon,”

Makai said.

“And the rich one looks like he’d buy you the moon if you asked. How rich is he?”

I refused to acknowledge the flutter in my chest at his words.

“He told me he sold his company for a lot,”

I said, gesturing with my fork so violently that syrup flicked onto the table.

“You know how gamer guys lie about their lives.”

“What did Ryker lie about?”

Makai asked.

“I mean… A crazy buff firefighter with an eight-pack? That’s like, every gamer guy’s fantasy persona. I figured it was all made up.”

“He kinda looked like a crazy buff firefighter with an eight-pack,”

Makai said.

“Is there a ten-pack? I think he might have more than eight,”

my grandmother added, nodding.

“I did my research. Ryker is a firefighter, with many accommodations for his age. And Kiaan Malhotra is all over Google. He has a net worth of $521 million.”

“Fuck me,”

Makai said, eyes widening.

I took a deep breath, trying to slow the words tumbling out of me.

“So, they’re exactly who they said they were. What the heck? Who does that? Who’s honest online? Wait until they find out just how dishonest I’ve been with them.”

Hui dabbed at the syrup spot with her napkin.

“What do you mean? When I talked to both men, they had such wonderful things to say about you.”

“About me?”

The question came out smaller than I intended.

“Of course about you.”

Her eyes softened.

“They both care very much. I could hear it in their voices.”

Makai nodded.

“You’ve been gaming with them for what, six years?”

“Eight with Kiaan. Six with Ryker,”

I corrected, then cursed myself for knowing that so precisely.

“If they were honest about the things you thought were lies—Ryker’s career and Kiaan’s millions—they were probably honest about everything else too,”

Hui said, the observation landing like a well-aimed arrow.

“You can’t talk to someone every day for eight years and hide who you are.”

“That’s what’s worrying,”

I muttered.

“What do you mean?”

Makai asked, his tone gentler now.

I picked at a napkin, shredding it between my fingers.

“Online, I can think before I respond. I can be who I want to be. In person, I’m just... this.”

I gestured at myself—the nervous habits, the social anxiety that had me constantly scanning the cafe for exits, the words that came out wrong half the time. The fact that I’d been flirting with them both and keeping that a secret.

“And what’s wrong with this? We love you.”

Makai smirked, his hair falling into his eyes as he leaned forward.

“Sky, maybe Hui has the right idea. Maybe it’s time to take a risk. Both of these guys seem great, and they’re really into you, and you have a lot to offer. Why not give them a chance? Maybe one of them is the one.”

I leveled my fork at him.

“You are the worst friend ever.”

“No, I’m the best friend ever, because I’m telling you what you need to hear.”

I stabbed my fork violently at my plate, pancakes demolished into a syrupy mess.

“You don’t understand what it’s like. When I’m online, I’m confident. I’m in control. I lead our guild through the hardest raids. People respect me.”

I swallowed hard.

“In person, I’m an anxious mess. I can barely make small talk with the mailman. And now they’re waiting at the house,”

I said weakly.

“Wondering where I ran off to.”

“Probably,”

Makai agreed.

“Though we could take advantage of this and point Ryker towards the barn. It needs a new roof and he seems handy.”

I laughed.

“If he’s going to repair anything, it should be my house. I don’t think he can sit still when he’s nervous, so he finds things to do.”

My grandmother leaned in.

“See? That’s information only a good friend would have. You have known these boys for years. Not their faces or their jobs—but their hearts. You know who they are, just as they know the true you.”

The truth of her words hit me like a physical blow. I did know them. Better than almost anyone. I knew Ryker’s quiet steadiness, the way he put everyone else’s needs before his own, how he’d stayed up all night with me just to keep me company. I knew Kiaan’s brilliant mind, his drive to prove himself, the insecurities he hid behind achievements.

And they knew me. The real me. Not just the competent raid leader or the snarky gamer, but the girl who struggled with crowds, who coded until 4 a.m. because nightmares kept her awake, who’d never had a relationship last longer than three months because getting close to people terrified her.

That knowledge terrified me more than strangers ever could.

I pulled out my phone, staring at the text from Kiaan about the helicopter ride. My thumb hovered over the screen for a long moment before I typed a response.

Fine. I’ll go on your stupid helicopter ride. But only because I’ve always wanted to ride in a stupid helicopter, for fuck’s sake.

I hit send before I could change my mind, then looked up to find both Makai and Hui watching me with identical knowing expressions.

“I hate you both,”

I said without heat.

“No, you don’t.”

Makai’s grin made me want to punch him.

“You love us,”

Hui added, patting my hand.

“Just as those boys love you.”

“Nobody said anything about love,”

I protested.

My phone buzzed.

Kiaan

Helicopter leaves at 2. Wear something warm. And I accept your grudging enthusiasm as the highest form of compliment.

I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. God, they were both so fucking hot in person. It wasn’t even fair. How could I be expected to pick just one?

“I should get going.”

I pulled some bills from my wallet and tossed them on the table.

“I have a helicopter to catch.”

“Have fun,”

Makai called as I stood.

“Try not to overthink it.”

Fat chance of that.