“Yeah, I bet,” I said in a low voice.
Lucas elbowed me.
“What?” I said innocently. “Did I say that out loud?”
“Yes,” Sookie answered with a dopey grin while Solia and Kai speed-walked past us into the parking lot.
Lucas grabbed his phone and most likely sent a text to everyone else.
Sookie was still grinning at the duo long after we got into the van and started making our way back to the apartments.
“What?” Kai shrugged. “Stop looking at me like that.”
Sookie smiled wider, then looked down at his phone like he was so happy for Kai he couldn’t contain his own joy.
I yawned behind my hand, and my head started to bob forward. I’d had so much fun, but I was exhausted and ready to go to sleep.
I don’t remember much of anything other than an arm wrapping around me protectively and pulling me against a warm body. The last thing I saw in the rearview mirror, however, were Rae’s laser-sharp eyes as he took in the whole thing and the way he gripped the steering wheel like he was about to use it as a weapon.
Weird.
So weird.
Besides, I was the last girl he would ever be interested in. Right?
Right.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Enemies shouldn’t know the way you taste…
Lucas
I lay in bed that night with a smile on my face—one that I told myself was because everything didn’t go to hell during rehearsals and because we were able to relax a bit afterward—if relaxing counted as looking down from a Ferris wheel and praying for no earthquakes or mechanical breakdowns.
I’d held her hand.
Impulsively.
Because I’d wanted to touch her more than I’d ever admit out loud and because I still couldn’t get that accidental kiss out of my head.
I snorted out a laugh.
Right. Accidental. Like my mouth just fell across hers, forcing my tongue to slip past all her defenses.
I groaned and flipped onto my stomach, staring across the room at Jay, who was already snoring up a storm. He’d always been a heavy sleeper; whereas stress made me anxious, it made him tired.
There were memes all over of Jay just falling asleep sitting up in between radio interviews.
How could he even concentrate long enough to close his eyes? Or breathe evenly when we had so much going on over the next few days? By tomorrow, everyone would know that I had been set up to cause a scandal.
Which meant my name would most likely be trending again—all the old articles dug up to show proof of my innocence—right along with the worldwide premiere of our single and new video.
I’d watched it a few times since the reaction video for YouTube, and while I was really proud of it, I always had a hard time watching myself, especially now that I knew Grace was watching every move.
Her eyes trained on me even when she didn’t realize she was doing it. What was worse, a few times today, I knew Rae noticed how close she was standing to me or how I’d offered to go on a ride that would normally terrify me—just to be close to her.
Shit. I really didn’t want to think about the drama that would cause between all of us.
That kiss shared by Kai and Solia was one thing.
He’d been half in love with her since his trainee days—and she him. So it was something that I was actually glad they were finally acting on—as long as they kept it secret.
I released a deep sigh then untangled my legs from the sheets, shoved on my black slippers, and wandered out into the kitchen in search of a water or a shot of soju—anything to take away the uneasiness in my chest every time I thought about the news, the scandal, the music video—every time I thought about Grace.
When did she start taking up all the free space in my head? The space reserved for all the self-loathing and darkness I was so used to embracing. Now there was a lightness there, mingled with fear of rejection—getting found out—and losing my best friend.
Shit.
I opened the fridge, grabbed a water, then reached for the soju and lamely poured a shot into a small glass and drank it.
How the hell did she get so drunk that night?
I smiled, shut the fridge, and immediately started choking on the Soju still in my mouth.
It hurt to swallow, and when I did, Grace was already hiding her laugh behind her hand. “Sorry!”
“I could have died,” I hissed.
She eyed the glass bottle in my hand. “Doubtful, plus dying is reserved for the stupid Westerners who think that it goes down way too smooth for it to have any alcoholic effects. That’s a neat trick. Remind me to bring some home for Kevin—last time he got drunk, we found him in the dog bed spooning the dog’s hairy blanket. He said he found dog hair for days even after showering.”