Bookishly Ever After (Ever After #1)(36)
Dev broke away from a rugby conversation with Damien and bumped me with his side. “Good one.”
Lexie looked like she had just bitten into a lemon.
Not wanting to sound like a jerk, I sputtered. “But, really. I charge twenty dollars an hour plus material costs. And you don’t want to know how many hours it takes to knit a sweater.” She still looked like she wanted to stab me with her fork. Plus, I only knit for the knitworthy and you, hanging over the table trying to get Dev to look down your top, are definitely not knitworthy. But I didn’t say the last part. Lack of sleep definitely made me a little bit snappy.
Lexie blinked. “Huh. I can buy something like that at Target for fifteen bucks.” She took a sip of her soda and sat back with a self-satisfied smile.
To keep myself from saying something I’d regret later, I stuffed a piece of cannoli in my mouth and pretended to turn my attention to the rugby conversation. I had no idea what they were talking about and I don’t think they did, either. It was like a battle of the phones, where each of them would surreptitiously look something up and try to sound impressive with some sporty term or another to one-up everyone else. Well, except for Damien, who could probably make stuff up and get away with it because he’d been to his brother’s games. Even Lexie found ways to chime into their argument.
I didn’t get it. Dev’s texts had made it sound like it would be just us at the diner, or at least I, like an idiot, had read them that way. And now, it seemed ridiculous that I got all excited and asked for Grace’s help. I could have shown up here in sweats with no makeup for all the attention he gave me. I started picking the chocolate chips out of the mascarpone filling of the rest of my cannoli, making a little pile on the side of my plate that I could eat in one chocolate-laden shot.
Dev nudged me with his elbow and I looked up from my chocolate Everest to see a concerned frown on his face. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet.”
I forced a smile. “I’m just tired. Boston’s a long drive.”
“Oh, sorry. Did you want a coffee or something?” His eyes searched my face and I tried to smile wider.
I held up my half-filled mug. “Beat you to it.”
He looked down at my mug and… was that a little bit of color in his cheeks? “Right. I forgot about that. I didn’t even ask how your trip—” Lexie cut him off and started asking him something about the theatre club meeting.
I ate my mini mound of chocolate and debated my next move.
Marissa would sit on his lap, like the cafeteria scene in Hidden when she tried to distract Dan. I voted that out automatically.
Maeve would blend in and then impress him with her brains and selflessness. I could be like her in chapter twenty of Golden, maneuvering through the Otherland court like she’d been born fae. Or I could imitate her graceful but dramatic exit from the pub in Gilded, catching Aedan’s—I meant, Dev’s—eye and leaving him wanting more.
The exit sounded wonderful at the moment. I didn’t need to keep being that girl who was so socially inept that she had to pass her time reading the backs of sugar packets and trying to lip-read the conversation of the couple in the booth opposite me. Downing the last of my coffee, I pulled a ten out of my purse and dropped it on the table.
I stood, slipping on my handwarmers and artfully draping my scarf around my neck. “I have to go, I still haven’t unpacked.” I tugged at my ponytail tie so my hair could fall in graceful waves down my back, just like Maeve pulling out her hairstick as she left the pub, but it wouldn’t budge. So no one would notice my hair fail, I tried to make it look like I was pulling the ponytail out from under my scarf.
Lexie blinked up at me, delicately waving her spanakopita. “Already? Oh, well.”
I wasn’t sure if I saw disappointment in Dev’s eyes or if it was just wishful thinking. “That sucks. Are you sure you can’t stay?”
Faking my best perky-smile, I said, “Positive. Thanks for inviting me. Happy Thanksgiving and see you tomorrow.” I tried turning on my almost-three inch heel and stumbled, grabbing at a chair to steady myself.
“Was there more in that coffee than just coffee?” Damien called out from across the table.
I gave Damien the evil eye. A line from Hidden popped into my head and this seemed like the perfect moment to use it. “I don’t know. Is there more in your head than just air?” It sounded so much cooler on the page, but the guys didn’t seem to notice.
“Oooh, burn. Good one, Martins.” A senior whose name I didn’t know reached across the table for a fist bump. He winked at me before turning to Dev. “Where have you juniors been hiding this one?” I broke into a genuine grin. Marissa saved the day. Again.
“The library,” Lexie said in a tone that made the library sound bad. As if.
“Anyway, I really have to go.” I wracked my brain for something smart and funny. “This time without almost falling on my butt.” Success. They were definitely laughing with me and not at me. “Bye.” Random ‘goodbyes’ followed me but I didn’t turn around to look at anyone, especially Dev. Maeve wouldn’t do that. I put spice into my step, which wasn’t hard in these heels, and loved the feel of my ponytail bouncing as I walked towards the front door. I couldn’t tell if I looked hot or stupid, but Em had once said that I had a butt built for walking away in heels. I hoped this was what she meant.