Page 90 of Lose You Twice

Harlow watches me for too long.

I do my best to ignore her, wiping the counter again, but she keeps staring.

I sigh, putting down the rag and meeting my sister’s gaze. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.” She smiles, then immediately presses a hand to her stomach, face going a shade paler than normal.

Grayson sits up. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She waves him off. “Just tired. My stomach’s being kinda wonky since lunch.”

Weston lifts his head. “I know a guy who got food poisoning from gas station sushi once.”

Asher turns slowly. “Why would you say that?”

“I’m offering medical context.”

Harlow makes a face. “Please don’t say sushi again.”

Grayson’s hand moves to her knee, thumb brushing once. “Do you need some water?”

“I’m fine.”

Everyone looks at her.

She sighs. “Okay, I hate when people say that, so I understand the hypocrisy. Water would be nice.”

I get it before Grayson can. It gives me something to do that isn’t standing there with Wren’s absence pressing into the room harder than anyone else’s presence.

Harlow takes the glass and studies me over the rim. “You’re twitchy.”

“I’m not twitchy.”

“You’ve cleaned the same counter four times.”

Weston points a chip at me. “This is why people think captains are freaks.”

“They don’t,” I say.

“Oh, they do. I started the rumors myself.”

Asher takes the chip out of his hand and eats it.

“Betrayal,” Weston whispers. “Get your own fucking chips.”

The movie starts; I sit in the chair near the window, arms folded, eyes on the screen and mind absolutely nowhere near it.

Halfway through the movie, my phone buzzes.

For one stupid second, I think it’s her.

It isn’t.

Harlow: Stop looking so tragic. You’re bringing down the room.

I look over.

She’s on the couch five feet away, phone in hand, face too pale under the blanket. Grayson is focused on the movie, or pretending to be.