Counting Down with You(30)

Samir’s response is immediate. UR SO RIGHT thanks bro!!

I roll my eyes, looking back up as Ace’s stepmother stands and starts uncovering the various dishes. I try not to sigh when I see a roasted ham as the main course. I don’t eat pork because I’m Muslim, and I’ve never been so grateful Dadu offered to save my lunch in the fridge.

Bangladeshi food is one of my favorite parts of my culture. It’s so rich and heady, yet so comforting at the same time. One of few things I dread about going to college is leaving behind my family’s homecooked meals. I highly doubt aloo bhorta is on Columbia’s lunch menu.

“I have snacks in my room,” Mia whispers, drawing my attention as we start passing bowls around and scooping food onto our plates.

My eyebrows rise. “What?”

She gestures toward the ham. “You can’t eat that, right? Come by my room afterward. I’ll slip you some potato chips.”

I blink in surprise, a smile pulling at my lips. “That’s so sweet of you. Thank you.”

“So Miss Ahmed,” Ace’s father says, and my neck nearly snaps as I turn to face him. He looks like he wants nothing more than to dissect me under a microscope. “How do you and Alistair know each other? He’s never brought any of his friends to our home.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Why is nothing coming out? I can’t think of a single thing to say.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

I lick my lips uncertainly. “Um...”

And then, the same way a meteor strikes a dying planet, Ace says the worst thing of all time: “Karina is my girlfriend.”



16


T-MINUS 23 DAYS

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

What? Did he really just say I’m his girlfriend?

I look at Ace in disbelief, but he’s staring at his dad, a challenging expression on his face.

“Your girlfriend?” Ace’s father repeats, his tone incredulous. “Since when?”

Ace shrugs. “I haven’t been keeping track.”

Neither have I, apparently.

“And you didn’t think to inform any of us when this started?” his father asks, setting down his knife and fork.

“Mia knew,” Ace says, waving a nonchalant hand.

His stepsister blinks slowly, clearly at as much of a loss as I am, but after a moment, she nods. “Yeah, Ace told me a while ago.”

I try not to sigh. Of course Mia is going along with it.

Albert turns his gaze on me. “Is this true, Miss Ahmed?”

And now everyone is staring at me. Great.

Ace meets my eyes and offers me a hopeful smile. Is he being serious?

I have absolutely no clue why Ace is telling his dad I’m his girlfriend instead of his tutor, but I also can’t bring myself to deny it. I’m not eager to be at the center of Clyde family drama—I’ll yell at Ace in the privacy of his room and then he can figure out a way to explain to his family that he was lying.

But for now... I’ll play along.

I laugh nervously. “I also haven’t been keeping track. I’m sorry, Mr. Clyde.”

Albert hums, his lips pressed together as he looks between me and his son. “It’s a shame we haven’t been introduced before then.”

“Better late than never,” Ace says. His foot nudges mine underneath the table, and I nearly jump out of my seat. “Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

Sweetie. This boy wants to die by my hand.

“Yes, honey.”

Ace winks at me, and I resist the urge to throw my fork at him.

“We’d love to hear more about you, Karina,” Ace’s stepmother says, which is arguably the worst thing she’s said to me so far. I hate being the center of attention, and I hate talking about myself. “How did you and Ace meet?”

“We’re in the same English class,” I say, because that at least is true. “He sat next to me and we just...clicked?”

Ace’s smile widens into a blinding grin. I’m going to kill him. “I took her on a date to a local bakery. She ordered the cheesecake and said it wasn’t nearly as sweet as me.”

His foot is close enough that I step on it in retribution. He winces but quickly covers it up. It still brings me some satisfaction.

“Who can blame me?” I offer his stepmother a pretty smile. “He’s just such a sweetheart.”

“I’ve never seen you two together,” Xander says, watching me like a hawk. If I thought he was assessing my weaknesses before, it’s nothing compared to his sharp gaze now. “Have you even told Mom?”

“You didn’t know who Karina was before today,” Ace says, his grin obnoxious even as his gaze is dark. “Maybe that’s why you failed to notice. Mom has known for a while now, just like Mia.”

Xander’s eyes narrow, but he doesn’t make any further comment. I restrain the urge to step on Ace’s foot again. There’s no way his mother knows about this—he’s mentioned her to me only once in the passing. Another tangled thread in this web of lies.

“What do your parents do, Miss Ahmed?” Albert asks after he shares a look with Xander that is far from reassuring.