Page 201 of No Headlines Please

"Tell him off." He was smirking now. "You said you were gonna, right?"

She looked ready to strangle him. "You are such an asshole. Aren't you supposed to be sticking up for me?"

"Why?" he scoffed. "It's not like he's attacking you."

"Yeah, but he's totally glaring."

The guy shrugged. "So are you."

"Oh come on!" she said. "You can't even tell if I'm glaring. Hello? Sunglasses, remember?"

"Hell yeah, I remember. It was the second pair you bought today."

She ripped off her sunglasses and hurled them to the ground. "Oh, yeah? Congratulations. You're buying me a third. How do you like that?"

He laughed. "Hey, why do I have to buy them?"

"Because this is all your fault. I wanted to hit the Pink Pony, remember? But nooooo, you had to drag me out on a hike." Her mouth twisted. "I fucking hate hikes."

He smiled. "I know. That's why I suggested it." He gave her a lingering once-over. "You're hot when you're pissed."

She paused. "Really?"

"Hell, yeah."

And now, they looked two seconds away from hate-fucking right in front of me.

I spoke up. "Hey! I'm still waiting."

Neither turned to look. They were too busy undressing each other with their eyes.

I felt the air shift as Delaney stepped up beside me. In a hushed voice, she said, "Huh. That didn't go anything like I expected."

I turned to look at her. "Yeah, me neither."

She glanced toward the couple. "So…what now?"

I turned and called out to them. "Hey! Last chance."

They still didn't look. Instead, the girl made a little shooing motion with her hand. "Oh, just go away, will ya?"

At my side, Delaney whispered, "You know…we probably should." She reached for my hand. "I mean, Ryder and Tessa must be way ahead by now."

I said nothing, but when she gave my hand a light tug, I went with her, leaving the couple to do whatever without us.

I wasn't happy. So much for making out.

But this wasn't the reason I was pissed. Delaney and I had plenty of time alone. What we didn't have was a guarantee that drama wouldn't find us again.

Yes. Even here.

75

The Scenic Route to Panic

Delaney

As we traveled along in the horse-drawn carriage, I gave Maddox a puzzled look. "So, who is it? Maisie and Griff?"