Page 48

Laughter. Music. Silverware clinking against ceramic plates.

Life kept moving, as if I hadn’t just left part of my soul behind in a fluorescent-lit bathroom.

I weaved through the diner, mouthing I’ll be back to Roxxi, Cloe, and Ari, who all looked ready to climb across the table when they saw me.

I didn’t glance at the guys. They were too perceptive, and I couldn’t deal with them on top of everything else.

I needed air that wasn’t laced with tension and the scent of him.

The second I hit the entryway, my phone started going off.

I yanked it out on instinct, half-expecting another text from my stalker.

Sugarmama lit the screen.

A laugh slipped from my lips. I pushed through the doors and stepped out into the crisp night air, dragging in a lungful. I didn’t wander, going just far enough to put space between me and the noise, answering before the call could go to voicemail. “Hey, Sugarmama.”

“ Meri Jaan ,” she crooned, her voice warm like honey, cardamom, and love all wrapped in one.

“Is everything okay?”

“Oh, everything’s fine,” she said breezily. “I just got back from dinner with some friends.”

“Where’d you go?” I asked, walking toward Ryder’s truck and leaning lightly against the door.

“Shalimar, of course. The owner’s son just got engaged—again. You know how those Patel boys are.”

I smiled faintly. “Mmhm.”

“And you know I don’t like gossip…”

I laughed. “That’s a lie.”

“Let me finish.” Her tone turned prim. “Ms. Noreen mentioned you stopped by the drugstore the other day.”

I closed my eyes. I knew where this was going. “It was for a friend.”

“Are you the friend?”

I snorted. “No, Sugarmama. I take all precautions.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” She paused, then added casually, “You and Ryder are both young. You should enjoy each other before bringing me a great grandbaby.”

“Ryder?”

“Who else’s baby would it be?”

“…My boyfriend’s?”

“Ryder.”

“Ashton,” I corrected, exasperated.

“Let’s be serious.”

I tried not to laugh, failing and dragging a hand over my face. “Honestly? You’re right. That whole situation is a mess. I’ll talk to you in person because I’m in desperate need of your wisdom.”

“Oh, you know I’m the expert on the men. Are you sure there’s no baby?”

“There is no baby, I swear.”

“Well, I had to double-check. You know you’re the Noor of your papa’s eye. I needed to know if we had to start laying groundwork and testing waters before you made any surprise announcements.”

“I appreciate your willingness to be an accomplice, but like I said, I take double precautions. I’m also on a path of celibacy.”

“Celibacy ? ” she repeated, then clicked her tongue. “Well, that’s your choice, and I’m proud of you for being responsible. When I was your age, I was a little wild.”

“Yeah, okay.” I laughed. “I’m going to go. Give my love to everyone. I’ll see you soon.”

“I can’t wait. Sending love to you too, Meri Jaan. ”

I ended the call, the screen fading black as I tucked the phone against my chest. For a moment, maybe only seconds, I felt something close to peace.

I checked the time. 7:56 PM. Almost eight.

My entire body ached—mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Between practice, The Hunt, Ryder, and everything else, I was tapped out.

I sighed, knowing I needed to head back inside before the girls came looking for me.

I was ready to go home.

Food didn’t sound appealing, and that said a lot coming from me. I shut my eyes, taking a few more minutes for myself.

“Sanjana.”

I jumped, straightening instantly. I scanned the shadows by the edge of The Nest, the sidewalk near the alley, and the cars parked farthest from the diner lights.

There was no one around but two guys at the back of the lot, talking, one lighting a cigarette.

Neither of them was paying me any mind. Had I imagined it? My phone went off with a text.

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You’re even prettier when you’re scared.

That little hitch in your breath, I felt it from here.

Don’t worry. I won’t come any closer. Not yet.

I like watching you from the dark.

My stomach dropped.

I stared at the message, creeped out to the max.

I calmed myself by repeating what Roxxi had said earlier.

It’s just a crusty college kid. I blocked the number once again and decided to go round up the girls so that I could get home.

Just as I reached the doors, Ashton stepped out.

Something about his expression was off, a mix of resignation and anger.

“I just heard about the locker room thing. Are you okay?” he asked glumly.

“I’m fine, just... a little out of it. Are you alright?”

He tilted his head back. “I’m not sure.”

I shifted on my feet, my recent text at the forefront of my mind.

His green eyes searched mine. “Did he hurt you back there?”

I didn’t need to ask who he meant.

“He would never hurt me.”

“I saw the way he looked at you, Sanjana. I don’t know what the hell that was, but it wasn’t normal.”

“Ashton, he didn’t touch me.”

“Are you scared of him?”

Not for any reason would a therapist call healthy, and definitely not in the way Ashton meant. “Why would I be afraid of him?”

“I needed to be sure of something.”

This wasn’t making much sense. “Ash, what’s going on?”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “What did you two do in the bathroom?”

“We talked,” I replied quietly, knowing that didn’t sound at all plausible.

Ashton scoffed. “You talked? In a diner bathroom?”

“I certainly didn’t fuck him in there.”

His eyebrows shot up. That surprised him. I never cussed much, and I wasn’t one to raise my voice unless I was upset. His shock quickly twisted to something else. He took a step towards me, and I stepped back.

“Sanj, I know he’s your best friend, but I’m not comfortable with the way you two are together.”

What the hell was wrong with everyone tonight?

I was starting to feel as if I were going round for round in a ring with different opponents.

Even if his concern was valid, this wasn’t the right way to handle it, outside the damn Nest with our peers and strangers watching from behind glass and pretending not to.

It wasn’t a good look after being seen walking into a bathroom with Ryder only twenty minutes ago.

Ashton should have been less worried about what we did and more focused on what I felt right at that moment.

There was physical cheating, emotional cheating, and then there was whatever Ryder and I were trapped in.

A cycle with no name and no definition, tangled in both.

I caught sight of someone at the window holding up their phone, pretending to check a text. No surprise there.

“I don’t know what you want me to do about that. I’ve never lied to you about Ryder. Or who he is to me.”

“You haven’t,” Ashton bit out, his jaw flexing. “But were you telling the whole truth?”

“What are you talking about?”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, fingers curling around it. “What if I told you someone just let me in on a secret?” His voice dropped, his words shaking. “That you fucked him the week after getting with me.”

I stared at him in partial disbelief. “Who told you that? We can go inside and address it together.”

“It was a text.”

“Okay, show me then.”

His hand trembled as he flipped the screen toward me.

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How does it feel knowing your sweet little cheerleader has been landing hard on her best friend? Do you think she fakes it for him, too? Or is it only you she lies to?

“And you took this to mean I slept with him?”

His expression hardened. “You’re saying you never did?”

“If I had fucked him, why would I ever—?”

I stopped before I said something I couldn’t take back. I wasn’t going to let him drag me into a public spectacle bigger than he already had. As much as I wanted to snap, to lay it all out, I wouldn’t humiliate him like that.

“Is this what you meant by doing better?” My voice dripped with sarcasm, each word cutting.

He stepped forward, and without thinking, I stepped back again. His face twisted, a dark flash passing through his eyes.

“Quit acting like you’re afraid of me,” he snapped, far louder than he needed to.

The diner door slammed open behind him.

“Who the fuck are you yelling at like you don’t have any common sense?” Cloe’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and unyielding. She stormed forward, Ari and Roxxi right behind her like an unstoppable wave.

Ashton froze, shame flashing across his features as he took in their expressions.

Ari folded her arms across her chest, radiating a quiet fury that felt more dangerous than any shouting.

Roxxi didn’t say a word, but her fingers slipped into her purse in a way that made my heart stutter, because knowing her, she wasn’t checking for lip gloss.

Ashton looked around, cornered, the realization of exactly who he was up against sinking in.

The guys at the booth had all turned to watch.

I saw Nick step away from the table, his eyes sharp and assessing.

“Unbelievable,” Ashton muttered, shaking his head like the world had wronged him, taking a step back.

Roxxi’s voice came low, lethal. “What is? That she moved away from your tantrum? Or that we all saw it?”

He opened his mouth like he might argue, but the words never came. He just stood there, stuck, shrinking. I finally found my voice, the last of my composure clinging to it. “I want to go home,” I said softly, my throat tight.

Ashton shifted, his mouth parting like he still had something to say, or like he might reach for me.

“I don’t think you need to add anything else to this conversation,” Nick advised as he stepped outside. He turned to me then, softer. “You good, Sanj?”

I nodded once, though it didn’t feel true all the way through. He studied me, his gaze heavy and searching, like he could see all the cracks I was trying to hide. Then he looked at Cloe. “Can you take her home, Cici?”

“You don’t even have to ask,” Cloe said, already stepping forward. Her hand closed around mine with a grip that felt like safety. “Come on, Sanj.”

“What about my car?”

“We’ll get it to you,” Nick said gently, like it was already handled.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He offered a bright smile. “You never have to thank me for looking out for you.”

We moved away together, a shield of warmth I needed more than air.

I didn’t look back once.

And I didn’t care to see what would happen next.