He was the complete opposite of me, yes, but that meant nothing.
I cocked my head at Asiya, a heavy breath leaving my lungs. “You know, maybe the fact that I didn’t have a crush on Eden when we met was the ultimate reasonwhywe’re now dating. I could talk to him just fine.”
“But you couldn’t,” she snapped. “You were a stuttering mess.”
“Because I was nervous!” Thanks to Eden, I’d gotten a bit more used to talking to strangers. It still made me nervous, but a whole lot less than before.
Asiya rolled her eyes. “You’realwaysnervous. You can’t open your mouth unless you’re talking to me. I’m just wondering how the fuck you, of all people, managed to get withEden. The most popular guy on campus. The very guy who’s in direct competition with the one youactuallywant.”
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
As my best friend, I expected her to be happy for me. Sure, I was convinced she’d question my choices. I even expected her to be majorly confused. However, I didn’t think she was going to insult me, even if she wasn’t saying her insults directly.
“You think I can’t live without you, do you?” I asked, though I didn’t even want her to answer. “You don’t actuallywantme to find other friends. You want me to need you.”
Asiya’s eyes widened in shock at my words, a flicker of hurt crossing her features before she quickly masked it. “Lana, that’s not what I meant at all.”
“Then what exactly did you?—”
“Is this a bad time to stop by?” an only too familiar voice cut me off.
My breath got caught in my lungs as my head snapped up, my eyes meeting Eden’s beautiful green ones. God, he looked so effortlessly handsome, it almost made me mad.
How could one single person have been so captivating without even trying?
He stood there, a small grin on his face, his eyes never wavering over to my best friend.
His gaze was so intense yet so gentle, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of warmth spread to my cheeks.
How was he doing this?
“We were just talking about you, actually,” Asiya spoke first, a hint of something annoying lacing each of her words. I’d never heard her speak with so much anger in her voice.
I mean, sure, I’d seen her angry before. I’d heard her yell at other people before, but none of those moments could ever come close to how she spoke to Eden.
“You did?” His eyebrows rose at me, and though I wasn’t talking to him, his eyes remained on me. “Only good things, though, right?”
Well… I wouldn’t have gone as far as to say we were talking abouthim. It was about me, I suppose. About how my very own best friend didn’t think I was good enough for the guy in front of me.
The guy who refused to look ather.
“The Devil is just explaining to me how you two ended up together,” Asiya said, her tone carrying something challenging. It was almost as if she wanted to see how he’d react. As if she wanted Eden to confirm he’d never be with someone like me. “I mean, it’s crazy, isn’t it?”
Eden’s grin faltered slightly, though he was a pro at keeping his composure, unlike me. His poker face was quite admirable.
Maybe he should teach me that one next.
“Her name’s Alana,” Eden said as his eyes finally moved away from me. “I don’t thinkThe Devilsuits her much, do you?”
“I’ve always called her that.” She lifted her chin. “But, well, you can’t know this because you two haven’t known each other for long enough yet. Alana can be quite the bitch.”
What?
I felt my heart drop at Asiya’s words. My chest tightened instantly, my hands balling into fists in my lap.
How dare she say that? And it wasn’t even in her usual joking kind of tone. She was being serious.
She must’ve been joking, though, because there was no way she would’ve put me down like this. Ever. Like… my family would.
