“You’ve made good friends there?”
“Yeah, actually. My buddy Ty and I lived together for years. He’s the best. We have our own little crew going way back from seeing the same faces in auditions for so long. I assumed LA would be cold and, you know, a little phony, but there are some real gems there. I’ve been there for so long, though. I haven’t spent a significant time in Toronto in years.” He grinned. “I feel so fancy being bicoastal now.”
“Toronto isn’t on a coast.”
“It’s considered eastern seaboard, isn’t it?”
“Do you even know what a seaboard is?”
He laughed at that. “Not really. How about you? Planning to be a Toronto girl for life?”
Marley bit her lip. “I don’t have a ton of friends here, either. But it’s my home, you know?”
He chuckled low. “Well, now we’re both here. We can be friends again. Or…” He leaned closer to her, and she leaned in, too.
Marley was playing with fire here. He was looking at her with an expression that somehow broadcasted compassion as well asdesire. Attraction and… respect. His eyes were intense, and she wanted to climb into his lap and maul him.
There were so many thoughts swirling through her head. Like Nikhil had no business coming into her lifenow, when it was both the worst possible time and the best possible time. Marley was having surgery intwo days. Her body would beforever changed. And this could be her only chance for anotherone last timewith this body.
But also, this wasNikhil, the guy who basically ghosted her after sleeping with her. She was honestly over it—it was so long ago, and she was in no way mentally in the right place for a relationship back then. But she still didn’t know what had happened. And she didn’t want to get hurt again.
Marley took a deep breath. “Remember prom?” she asked.
Nikhil bit his lip. “How could I forget?”
That night, they’d found themselves alone in an after-party hotel room after the group they’d been partying with had all paired off into other rooms. Marley didn’t remember who made the first move—but she did remember that she’d wanted him all night. She’d wanted to tune out the world and lose herself in Nikhil.
But after the amazing night, she didn’t hear from Nikhil the next day. Or the day after that. When she got to school on Monday, he didn’t come to chemistry, even though she saw him from far away before class. When some of their classmates started teasing her about prom night, she realized that he had toldeveryonewhat had happened. Nikhil wasn’t the person she thought he was. The next day Maryam Aunty had been admitted to the hospital, and Marley didn’t go back to school again. There had only been a week left, and she wanted to be with her aunt as much as possible.
So it wasn’t completely Nikhil’s fault—shecould have called him. And he did call her once—about a week after she’d left school. But Marley had seen his name on her phone and didn’t answer. She didn’t know how to talk to anyone about her aunt dying.
She exhaled. He was close enough that she could now smella cologne… it was subtle. Tropical. His eyes were hooded. “What happened that night?” she asked. “Why didn’t you… why didn’t we ever talk after?”
The question hung in the air for several long seconds.
He finally sighed, and she saw regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Mahreen. I was a dumbass.”
Marley shook her head. “I don’t even know why I asked. It was a long time ago. We were kids. I didn’t call you, either.”
“People were saying stuff… like you were out of my league, and I got too deep in my own head. I was planning to move to LA the moment school ended, and I didn’t want…” His voice trailed.
“You didn’t want me holding you back?” she asked. She sounded a bit bitter.
“No. I mean… maybe? But I should have talked to you.”
“You did try and call me once, didn’t you? I didn’t pick up.”
He looked at her for a while, then sighed. “I wish our friendship hadn’t ended like that.”
Marley squeezed her lips together.Friendship. She’d wanted more than friendship back then, but maybe he hadn’t. She’d known he wanted to go to Hollywood to try to be an actor, and she could understand him pulling away from her if he thought she’d try to stop him from going. And honestly? It was probably for the best. She was way too vulnerable for a relationship back then.
“We both should have communicated better,” she said slowly, looking right into Nikhil’s eyes. “We should beclearabout our expectations this time. If it’s going to happen again, I mean.”
Nikhil swallowed. “And… what are your expectations this time?” His hand found her thigh, and the friction of histouch through the soft wool of her skirt nearly made her skin combust.
“I’m going through a lot right now. I told you… about my leave of absence. But maybe we need another chance to do it right. As friends.” Her eyes nearly closed with the pleasure of his hand making circles on her thigh.
He smiled and it almost made Marley rip that damn shirt off so she could see—no,touch—that Bronze Shadow body. “You mean friends with benefits?” he asked.
