Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 96404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 386(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
The former cheer squad captain silently judges me while looking me up and down.
“What’s wrong, Reina?”
“I should be the one asking you that. Are you going to let that senior partner redhead witch steal Sebastian?”
I swallow the bile that has been rising in my throat ever since the redhead witch, Aspen, put her hand on Sebastian’s arm and he smiled at her.
“There’s nothing to steal. I’m married.”
“I can’t believe that either.”
“Want to see the certificate? How about footage of our holy matrimony?”
“Good to know you’re still a cynical asshole when you’re cornered, Naomi, and no, I don’t need to see the certificate to know that you’re not doing the right thing.”
“Funny coming from you when you were out to destroy our relationship back in college.”
“It was the exact opposite, idiot.”
“What?”
“I remembered why I even came up with that bet. I would’ve told you before if you hadn’t ghosted all of our asses.”
I grimace but say nothing, waiting for her explanation.
“I might have been somewhat of a bitch—”
“Somewhat?” I cut her off.
“Okay, a major bitch. But I always had reasons behind everything I did. Remember when Lucy had a crush on Prescott? I found out he shared those feelings, so I encouraged him to go for it. But then I saw him kissing that freshman and decided to out him. Until he told me he was drunk and mistook the girl for Lucy, and that’s why I let him have a go again.”
“Are you gloating about playing matchmaker for Lucy and Prescott? You should include that in your speech for their tenth anniversary.”
“Stop being a sarcastic prick and listen. The point of the story is that I always had a reason, even when it came to you and Sebastian.”
“What type of reason?”
“You had a huge crush on him.”
“I… How the hell did you know that?”
“Because I watched everything, including how you secretly stole peeks at him or how you only looked at him among the entire football team.”
“And here I thought I was being discreet.”
“You were, but I made it my mission to be aware of everyone in my orbit. Once I noticed your interest, all the stars started to align, so I focused on Sebastian. He was a harder nut to crack since he was social as hell and camouflaged his emotions better than anyone I knew, but I saw it once. You were sitting at the fountain, headphones on, listening to that god-awful loud music and humming while sketching in your notepad. Sebastian was standing by a tree, watching you and smiling. He wasn’t passing by. He wasn’t preoccupied with something else. He stayed there on purpose for several minutes.”
My lips part. I didn’t know about that. He never mentioned it, even when we talked during those black days in the cell.
“That’s why I came up with the bet. And I don’t care what you think because it was one of the best things I did.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I murmur.
“Of course it does! You were both the best versions of yourselves together. Sebastian was more relaxed while you were happy and laughed more than ever. Now, you’re both just tragic.”
Tragic.
That might be the best word to describe us.
But tragic is better than lethal.
Reina steps closer, her eyes drooping at the side like a mother who’s worried about her child. “Are you happy, Naomi? Because Sebastian isn’t.”
“How…do you know that?”
“Unlike you, I’ve been here all this time and I’ve seen him slowly turn into a cold, aloof person whose sole purpose is to destroy others in court. He doesn’t celebrate his wins either, just picks up another case and moves along like some sort of machine.”
My eyes burn and I widen them to keep from letting the tears loose. Is it supposed to hurt this much, even though it’s the most logical thing to do?
Is it supposed to feel as if my heart is being ripped out of my chest?
“Happiness is subjective, Reina. For me, that word means something entirely different than being with Sebastian.”
“Is it worth being torn apart for? Because I’ve been there and it’s the worst feeling I’ve ever had to go through. Asher and I were parallel lines, unable to collide for so long that I thought we would never be together.”
“Parallel lines are safe.”
“Parallel lines are torture.”
“I can handle it.”
“You’re so different, Naomi.”
“I know.”
“I don’t mean that as a compliment. I miss the Naomi who expressed everything on her mind without caring what others said about her. I wish you’d find her in you someday. I wish she’d claw her way out.”
“I’ll let you know how that works out.” I smile, then it instantly disappears when I make out a very familiar face crossing the distance from the entrance.
Ren.
What the hell is he doing here? I know he’s been working with Akira a lot lately, but my husband said he wouldn’t be accompanying us tonight.