“Yeah, because having an estranged dad, a missing sister, and a traitorous mom is cause for jealousy.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said with a pointed look. “Regular girls like us don’t date celebrities, Felicity. You’re living every fangirl’s dream.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d heard how I was lucky, that Heartbreakers devotees around the world would do anything to be in my position. But I couldn’t let myself think like that. I didn’t want Alec’s fame to affect my view of who he was. “First of all, we’re not dating,” I said, repeating myself for the millionth time. “And second, please don’t make a big deal out of whatever this is. I get that to everyone else he’s this super-famous musician, but to me… I don’t know. He’s just Alec.”
Asha heaved one of her long, dramatic sighs. “That’s possibly the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
I snorted. “You think everything is the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard.”
The smile on her face went stiff before slowly fading, and she collapsed beside me on the second pillow. “Not everything.”
Her abrupt mood change left me feeling whiplash, and I pushed myself up so I could see her properly. “What do you mean?”
She pulled a blanket over her face. “Nothing. Never mind.”
“Asha, you’re literally the worst liar in the world.” I yanked the blanket away, and she peeked up at me. “Tell me what’s going on.”
At first she didn’t respond, but then Asha bit her lip and mumbled, “Boomer and I, we kinda… We did it last night.”
Whoa. That was the last thing I’d expected to come out of her mouth.
“You mean…you haven’t before now?” I asked. When I caught them in bed together at Kelsey’s, I’d gotten the impression they’d moved well beyond the kissing stage in their relationship.
She shook her head. “We’ve done stuff before, but neverit, and now I’m sorta freaked out. What if this changes things between us? What if Boomer…” She let her fear go unfinished, but I flinched regardless.
“For the sake of my sanity, can we please pretend this isn’t Boomer we’re talking about?” I compelled myself to think about something ridiculous, like babies riding rainbows or purple elephants wearing top hats, anything other than my two best friendshaving sex. “Let’s call him Chad or Ryan.”
Asha wrinkled her nose. “I would never sleep with aChad.”
That’s beside the point, I thought, but I disregarded her response. “I’m guessing things didn’t go the way you thought they would?”
“God, no.” Her cheeks burned as red as mine had moments before. “It was awkward and uncomfortable and not at all sexy.”
“I’m sorry, Asha.” I didn’t know what else to say. My lack of experience in this particular department made it impossible for me to give her any helpful advice. “Did it hurt?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, a little. ButRyanwas really sweet about it. Kept asking if I was okay. It kinda got annoying.”
Purple elephant. Purple elephant. Purple elephant.
“Then why are you so worried? That boy is over the moon about you.”
Now that I knew they were together, it was impossible not to notice how in love Boomer was with her. I could see it in the way he watched her with parted lips, or how he’d gently brush his hand against her arm. Every Friday, he drove to Bombay Grille to get Asha’s favorite Indian cuisine, even though the restaurant was forty minutes away, and one time he sat through anINmarathon because he knew how obsessed she was with the show.
Asha tugged on a strand of her hair. “But what if he wakes up and realizes it was a mistake?”
I blanched. “Are you saying you regret it?”
“No,” she whispered, and from the tone of her voice, I could tell how much he meant to her. “But what ifhedoes?”
“He won’t. You’renota mistake, Asha. You’re the endgame girl.” I reached out and clutched her hand, trying to squeeze some confidence into her. “You got that?”
She was unresponsive for a few seconds, but then she squeezed my hand back and nodded.
“Good,” I said, throwing my feet over the side of the bed. “Let’s go see if we can make some coffee. I think we both need it.”
***
The rest of the morning passed in a blur.
