Page 48 of Blacklist

Poppy surveys the damage, brushing the liquid from her romper. “Why is she acting like a lunatic party hostess?”

“She’s being Ava.”

“I wish I was a social butterfly.” Poppy watches her go.

“Ava is more like a praying mantis,” I correct her. “You are a social butterfly. This just isn’t your garden, babe.”

“At least Sterling is here,” she teases me.

“Who’s Sterling?” Kai pushes back the dark hair flopping into his shining eyes.

“Who cares if he’s here?”

“I care because he’s very pretty to look at,” Poppy says, “and you care because you’re totally in love with him.”

“Poppy Landry! I am not in love with him. I’m totally in loathing with him, but that is it.”

“Your voice is shaking,” Kai points out.

“Want to try that again with a little sincerity?” Poppy asks.

“Okay.” I consider my words, measuring each one before I speak. “Maybe I don’t hate Sterling, but I don’t like him—especially not like that. He was nice and drove me to the hospital, so he can’t be a complete asshole. I can’t prove that, though, since that’s all he’s been every other minute I’ve spent with him.”

“You can keep selling, but I’m not buying.”

“He is terrible. He’s rude, and he’s arrogant, and he’s—”

“Staring at you,” Poppy cuts in.

I drop my voice to a whisper. Telling myself, there’s no way he heard any of that in here. Not with all these people. “What?”

“Now he’s on his way over,” she narrates, “and he looks good enough to lick.”

“I concur with that opinion,” Kai adds.

“Oh my God.” I squeeze my eyes shut. The only thing that could make a conversation with Sterling more awkward is the addition of Poppy’s far-from-subtle double entendres.

“Adair,” Sterling says. My name is rough on his tongue, grating across it. I open my eyes expecting a glare and find a smile instead. “I was hoping to run into you. I wasn’t sure you would come.”

“I don’t think my attendance was ever in doubt.” I force myself to sound cold even as my body heats up in awareness.

“She just needed time,” Poppy jumps in like a lifeguard sensing danger. The question is: which of us is drowning? “We met at the funeral. Poppy? I’m Adair’s best friend. I’m like a sister but I call her out on her BS.”

“I remember,” he says. According to Poppy, Sterling took off right after me that day. She saw this as a sign that he’d only come to see me. I tend to think he couldn’t stand spending more time with my friends.

“Ignore her. The rest of us do.” I shove her playfully. She takes the cue to shut up a little too well.

“I can see I’m not wanted. Let’s find you a drink.” She takes off with Kai in tow, leaving me with Sterling, both of them making kissy faces behind his back as they go. Later, I am officially revoking her best friend card. I’ll give Kai one more chance.

We stand a moment in relative silence, chaos all around us. Finally I blurt out the most obvious thought in my head. “This is uncomfortable.”

“It’s an improvement. You’re usually telling me off,” he says.

“And you’re usually being a total dick,” I say.

His smirk only makes his lips look fuller and more inviting. How can he make me want to kiss him and smack him at the same time?

“Truce?” he asks.