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My eyebrows hit my hairline.

Was I… defending him?

He did something even worse, I reminded myself.

My gaze snapped away from his a fraction too fast, and I took a second too long to adjust my dress.

When I looked up, his eyes had popped open.

Yeah, you and me both.

Chapter thirteen

Josh

Silly Pri and her ideas.

I stifled a chuckle, though I had to admit the setting had its charm. I took it in, from the ridiculous chandelier to the unfortunate get-up of some guests, while the girl at the entrance painted a half-moon on my forehead and something on my cheeks in glittering blue-silver.

The envelope slid between two large boxes—a small, unassuming gift I was sure would be one of her favourites: plane tickets to visit Mark over winter break and a few all-you-can-eat coupons to some of the places I knew they loved.

She was greeting guests, looking like a bedazzled dragonfly with that thing on her head. I didn’t pay much mind to the usual lingering looks and double-takes, didn’t stop until I reached her, and took the opportunity of wishing her a happy birthday to tease the shit out of her.

“Astronaut’s wet dream, was that was you were going for?” I nudged her arm with my elbow, mouth quirked up in a smirk.

“Shut up, it’s nice.” She pulled me into a half-hug. “You’re just too uncultured to appreciate it.”

Her eyes flitted over my shoulder to the next person she had to greet.

“Popular, huh?” I gave her forearm a little squeeze and took her half-amused, half-exasperated chuckle as my sign to mingle.

The techno music made my skin crawl, but she must have picked it for the theme. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have bothered, but I knew she’d complain about it for months if I hadn’t shown—and I quite preferred my head attached to my body, thank you very much.

The tonic water and lime swirled, ice cubes clinking against crystal as I scanned the crowd, eyes skittering over couples dancing on the knife’s edge between affectionate and improper, passing groups of women whispering among themselves who kept glancing at me.

I told myself I wasn’t searching for anyone in particular. Mia had been a dull scratch at the back of my skull these days. Every time she crossed my mind, I shoved the thought down, like it was a hot coal I didn’t want to touch.

My breath stuttered in that familiar way I despised.

There she was. Dancing—free, unbothered.

That backless dress shimmered like a beacon only I could see under the strobe lights.

Scratch that.

A cursory glance around the room told me I was far from the only one admiring the curve of her spine. I could almost see the beads of sweat sliding down her bare back.

My grip on the glass tightened until it groaned. I took a sip of my drink that couldn’t scratch the sudden dryness in my mouth and resisted glancing lower with all I had, as if my life depended on it.

But my eyes skidded to a halt on her again, as if they had a will of their own. She was laughing at something one of Pri’s friends had said, and though I couldn’t hear the sound of it over the music, my stomach did a slow, heavy roll, as if I had.

The light played over her face, turning her luminous—or maybe it was because I’d never seen her like that.

Carefree.

Exhilarated.

Like she… belonged.