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He didn't know the answer to that question, but he felt a little more comfortable with the change of topic. "Makeup can hide a lot."
"How do you know that?" she asked suspiciously.
He smiled. "I have three sisters. And they all seemed to have facial emergencies before the prom. I remember when Emma got a big zit in the middle of her forehead. It looked like a volcano crater. She was going to call her date and tell him that she had the flu, but my sister, Nicole, talked her into some makeup rehab. By the time Nicole was done, you could hardly see it. Emma went to the prom and had a great time."
"You can't cover a nose the size of a grapefruit with makeup."
"The swelling will go down by then, and I'm sure you can hide the bruising."
"I hope so." She gave him a thoughtful look. "You're kind of cool. Maybe Tory should give you a chance."
"Maybe she should," he agreed with a smile.
The car door opened, and Ria got in with a large bag of food.
"That smells good," he said, his stomach starting to rumble.
"It is good." Ria gave him a wary look. "What were you two talking about?"
He smiled and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Drew—"
He saw the worry in her eyes. "Relax. Megan didn't give away any of your secrets."
"He's right. I didn't tell him anything," Megan added with way too much fervor.
Ria sighed. "I feel so much better."
Drew smiled. "I thought you would. Now, let's get to your house so we can eat. I'm starving."
Chapter Nine
"So this is your home," Drew said, as they walked into her apartment a few minutes later.
Ria nodded, knowing that Drew's sharp eyes wouldn't miss the fact that there was only one bedroom, and that room was decorated in typical teenage fashion. And if he missed that, the pillow and blanket on the back of the couch would no doubt suggest that at least one of them slept on the couch. The blank walls would reveal nothing about her past, but that would probably only reinforce the idea that she was in hiding.
There was nothing she could do about his assumptions. He was inside, and she had to deal with that fact.
She wasn't ashamed of the small one bedroom apartment. It was all she could afford. The neighborhood was safe, and no one could get into the building without being buzzed in—at least theoretically speaking. She hoped that her neighbors would never let anyone in without knowing who they were, but there were sixteen apartments in the building, and the only person she knew was her neighbor, Amelia.
"This is it," she said shortly, heading over to the secondhand table she'd put up next to the small galley-type kitchen. She set down the bag of food and then moved around the counter to grab plates and silverware.
"Not much on decorating, are you?" he said, as he took off his coat and tossed it over the back of a chair.
"I've been busy."
"How long have you lived here?"
"A while," she said, setting out plates. "Why don't you start opening up cartons?"
"And shut up?" he asked with a knowing smile.
"You said it; I didn't."
"We're so in sync, I can read your mind."
She rolled her eyes but refrained from making a comment as Megan slid into a chair at the table. Ria grabbed sodas and juice out of the fridge. Then she sat down next to Megan and across from Drew. It was surreal to be sharing a meal with him and Megan, she thought. In all the dreams she'd had about him, she'd never imagined this scenario, but ever since she'd run into him again, her day had been one surprise after another.
"This looks good," Drew said as he helped himself to the broccoli and beef dish.
"It's the best in the city," Megan said, as she carefully ate some noodles, wincing as she swallowed.
"How's the pain?" Ria asked.
"It's a little better," Megan said. "Do you think the swelling is starting to go down?"
Ria could see no change whatsoever, but that wasn't what Megan wanted to hear. "I think so." It was one lie she wouldn't feel guilty about. "Do you have homework tonight?"
"Not much. I did most of it already."
