Mack’s words echoed into the still night air. Even the ocean seemed to whisper rather than crash as the words settled over them. Kayla’s mind went blank, and her heart clenched so hard in her chest she nearly doubled over. “Mack?”
Mack let out a sigh laced with obvious pain. Her shoulders slumped, and she ran a hand through her hair. Kayla could see the regret and conflict in her every movement, and it broke herheart. She had done that. She had made Mack—sweet, loving Mack—hurt, and she hated it more than she could say.
Mack dropped into the sand, sitting with her forearms propped on her knees. She spoke to Kayla but looked out at the ocean. “Every time you start flirting with Skye, Amy gives me this look. It’s just so full of pity. I know this isn’t real. I know it’s a part I’m playing, but it still feels like I’m being cheated on right in front of my own eyes.”
Kayla dropped down into the sand next to her. She hadn’t noticed. Whenever she was flirting with Skye, all her focus was on the two of them. She hadn’t thought of Amy. That she would see it and know what was happening. Worse, she hadn’t thought of Mack and how it would make her feel. She hadn’t thought of anyone but herself.
Mack said, “I look like an idiot in this whole scheme, and I hate it. I never wanted to be a part of this, and that was before the kiss.”
“The kiss?”
Mack’s head dipped lower, and her words came out mumbled again. “On the balcony.”
“I remember.”
How could I ever forget?The thought blossomed in her brain even though she hadn’t wanted it to. She had felt a glimmer of something when she kissed Mack, but she’d been distracted by Skye’s reaction. She hadn’t taken the time to examine how that kiss had felt, and she was pretty sure she did that on purpose. Like she didn’t want to process it.
Mack’s whole body seemed to shrink in on itself. “I…liked it. It was a good kiss.”
Kayla couldn’t help smiling. She couldn’t help feeling all sorts of things she didn’t want to name. “I agree. It was a good kiss.”
“For a minute, I thought you were kissing me for…well, for me. So, when you said you were doing it to make Skye jealous, I feltlike shit.” Mack’s words trailed off, and Kayla had no idea what to say to make the pain in her voice go away, but she would do anything, anything in the world, to make it disappear. “And now I feel even more like shit.”
Kayla could barely hear her own voice when she asked, “Why?”
Mack looked up, and the moon caught her eyes. The green was so pale in the moonlight that they looked gray. Gray and fathomless as a storm cloud. “Because I would kiss you like that again. Even though I would know it wouldn’t be real, I would do it again.”
Air stuck in Kayla’s throat. Every nerve ending in her body buzzed to life. Was she imagining the pleading in Mack’s voice? The pull was so real. The need to kiss her again and see if she was telling the truth. Not just for the answer, but for the feel of Mack’s lips on hers. Mack’s arms around her body. The warmth of Mack’s breath in her mouth. A throbbing ache of need like she had never felt in her life coursed through her and made her lightheaded.
Then, in a heartbeat, the moment broke. Mack pushed to her feet, running her hand through her hair again, nearly pulling the strands out by the roots. “I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry. All this mixed-up emotion. It’s the part we’re playing, and I’ve been single for so long. My head knows this is fake, but sometimes my heart and body don’t get the message.” She paced around the sand for a long, silent moment before stopping. “Can you just be a little gentler with my feelings so my body can get the message?”
Kayla was on her feet and sprinting across the sand before deciding to move. She flung her arms around Mack and held on so hard. It was as much to hold her own heart together after it had shattered into pieces at the pleading in Mack’s voice. How could she have been so cruel? How could she have done this to Mack? Mack deserved all the best, kindest, most wonderfulthings in the world, and Kayla had broken her. She would never forgive herself if the damage was permanent.
“Of course, Mack. God, of course. I’m so sorry. I’ve been such a jerk. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I won’t do it again. I won’t. I’m so sorry.”
Kayla forced herself not to cry. Crying right now would make this about her. It would force Mack to comfort her, and that was not right. Not after being so thoughtless. Worse, she had known Mack was feeling weird about the kiss, but she let it go and focused on seducing Skye while the person she cared most about in the world suffered. So, she couldn’t cry now, even though her heart was broken.
After a long moment, Mack relaxed in Kayla’s arms. The tension that had suffused all day bled out as Kayla held her close. After another long moment, Mack wrapped her arms around Kayla, too. Then she settled her chin on top of Kayla’s head, and everything was right with the world. Kayla’s heart burst again, but this time with joy. The tiny acknowledgment of Mack’s chin meant that she had wordlessly accepted Kayla’s apology.
Mack said, “I’m sorry for being such a baby and yelling. You’re right, I should have said something ages ago.”
“You don’t have to apologize for anything. You’re such an amazing friend. You always have been, but this week is so much more than anyone else would ever do. I can never thank you enough.”
Mack chuckled, and Kayla could feel the rumble of it in her bones. “Name your first-born after me.”
Kayla leaned back so she could look up into Mack’s smiling eyes. “Sure thing. I’ll name her Elizabeth.”
Mack’s jaw dropped open, but there was obvious teasing in her shock. “How dare you?” Then she attacked Kayla with a torrent of tickles. “You take that back.”
Kayla was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. “Gah! Stop!”
“Not until you take it back.”
“I take it back! I take it back!” Mack laughed and gave her another squeeze before releasing her. Kayla said, “I really am sorry.”
“It’s okay. We’re good.”
Kayla lifted an eyebrow. “I knew I was a good kisser. I should have been more careful to only use my powers for good.”
