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He took the check from the table? Why?
“I spoke to Stacie,” he says. “Explained what happened.”
What? Why the hell would he do that?! I study the dramatic word scratched into the paper. I have no idea what to say, what to even feel right now.
“I understand if that pisses you off. Again, sorry for interfering in your shit,” he says.
“Are you?” I ask once I can speak again. “You don’t seem sorry.”
His genuine smile kind of tugs one from me. “Busted. I’m not really sorry.”
“And I’m not really mad.”
“Good.”
Silence settles over us, and I try to process the rollercoaster of the last few minutes. Combined with everything else lately, I don’t even know where to start. I just want to go home and curl up on the couch. I could hide for days and still not want to see anyone. In high school I was the life of the party, always craving attention. Now, I do everything I can to avoid people.
Ashton clears his throat, and I look over. “So um, this is going to sound… Shit, I don’t know how to say this.”
He rubs the back of his neck with a nervous laugh.
I raise a brow, waiting. How can it be worse than anything else that’s happened tonight?
He lets out a long exhale and straightens from the wall to face me. “Okay, so hear me out. My girlfriend wanted me to invite you to hang out. I know it’s unusual, but she’s… persistent.”
“Your girlfriend wants to hang out with me?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “No, not like that. With both of us. And your partner if you have one. Like, as friends. She’s worried based on what we saw tonight that maybe you don’t have a lot of friends in town.”
A lot? Try,nofriends. But still, this is weird. It’s weird, right?
“I don’t, but…”
My head is spinning. What exactly is happening right now?
“I know. Sorry for making it awkward, but you seem really cool and we might not run into each other again. I swear this isn’t some secret swinger hookup thing.”
I can’t help but laugh. It’s all so absurd… and sincere. I can tell from his expression he’d rather be doing anything other than propositioning an almost-stranger about being besties, but we do strange shit for the people we love.
“Anyway, if you’re ever looking for something to do or want to hang, hit us up.”
He holds out a business card, and I take it on instinct.
I glance down, surprised to see I’m talking to the Director of Marketing at The Alexander Company. Wait, Alexander. As in, IrisAlexander?!Why would some billionaire’s daughter care about what happens to me? Ashton must have told her my story, that I’m no one you want hanging around your palace.
“Okay, well I’ll let you go. I promise, we’re not as strange as we seem once you get to know us,” he says with a chuckle.
“It’s cool. Thanks,” I say, holding up the card in acknowledgment.
He nods, and I watch as he disappears into the building.
Wow. I have absolutely no clue what to do with that. Maybe he really is the one person in Suncrest Valley who doesn’t remember what happened? But even if he didn’t, he heard the other guests just now, saw the awful check still clutched in my fist.
Right. That. Still don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do with this.
After studying the business card for a few more seconds, I shove it in my pocket and slip back inside. No point dragging this out.
“Hey, Tristan! You got a sec?” Stacie asks as I pass her office.
