Bookishly Ever After (Ever After #1)(50)
“Way too short. I never even had a chance to get over the jet lag.” His fingers tapped the wooden railing in time to the music inside the house. “But it was good. I miss the food already.” He tilted his head to smile at me again. “My grandmom’s cook makes the best chapatis on the planet.”
I smiled, letting myself relax a little, and tried to think of what light, conversational thing I should say next. Something I’d overheard two of the cheerleaders say in the kitchen popped into my head.
“Everyone’s been saying you were picked to star in a Bollywood movie and wouldn’t come back.”
His laugh did funny things to my stomach. “One of those things is kind of true. My uncle got me into a songand-dance scene in one of the movies they were filming while I was there.”
“You’ll have to let me and Em know when it comes out. We’ll do a big screening of the movie and tell everyone we know the star.”
Dev laughed again, raking his hand through his hair. His sleeve rode up and I saw goosebumps all down his arm.
“I doubt anyone will be impressed when they see me dancing.” He looked over at the crowded family room through the glass doors. “But before we both die of cold, let’s go in. I can show off my film-worthy dance skills.”
Although I was so tempted to take his outstretched hand and head inside, the Maeve-y part of me remained frozen in place. She’d be too proud to jump at an opportunity to look like some lovesick hanger-on.
I shook my head. “I’m okay. It’s stuffy in there.” I drew up my back meter-stick straight, just like Maeve carried herself when she wore this dress. Like her, I could pretend to be as cold and distant as any of the Seelie high court.
“Oh.” He dropped his hand and a frown replaced his grin. “Are you sure?”
I nodded a little too enthusiastically. “I like it out here.” Even though my toes were totally numb and my fingers were about to fall off. I had to think warm thoughts. Like Aedan-and-Maeve-making-out kind of thoughts. But that made my eyes start flickering down to Dev’s lips. I focused on a bundle of pine needles on the bench next to me.
“Well, when you’re finally freezing, I’ll be inside.” He gave me a crooked grin and then pushed off from the railing. My acid-corroded heart skipped a beat and went back to being tortured somewhere in my stomach. I held my breath until he left the deck, then let it out in a white poofy cloud. I finally let my body dissolve into shivers.
There was no way Dev could read anything into what I’d said or done. Goodbye, silly Phoebe, with her socks and crushing on a guy who probably didn’t even like her. Somehow, I’d managed to pull off acting like a perfect model of distant-yet-friendly, like one of the Otherworld fae. Maeve would be proud.
The countdown started on TV and I slid into place between Grace and Em as everyone in the room started yelling the numbers along with the announcer. Dev was on the other side of the room with some of the other theatre people, and he flashed me a smile as he joined us all in saying, “Six!”
I had successfully avoided him all night, dancing a few more times with the Cyril lookalike, always keeping my hands full with food or helping Grace out with something when he came around. When I handed him one of the slices of veggie stromboli, I maneuvered the plate so our hands barely touched. It had been exhausting to keep up that amped version of my normal personal-space bubble for hours.
Em squeezed my hand and yelled, “Three!” into my ear, and I stopped looking at him and went back to the screen. The camera flashed to an image of the crowd on the RiverRink also counting down and I grinned as I caught a flash of a red scarf and red-orange tipped hair in the corner of the TV. And then fireworks filled the screen.
“Happy New Year!”
Grace and Leia started making out, Em was working on a totally new definition of public display of affection with Wilhelm, and I was the really out-of-place fifth wheel in the middle of them all. I looked up at Dev and his smile touched his eyes, shining in the dim lights. My apparently still-intact heart jolted with electricity and I started making my way towards him until Lexie made me feel like my life was on permanent, hellish repeat.
Lexie poked Dev on his shoulder and he turned around to look at her. Her wide grin as she reached up to twine her fingers around his neck and the electricity I’d felt seconds before fizzled, ice replacing it. As she pulled him down towards her, I turned and ran to the quiet of the geek/movie room.
“Feebs, you’re just in time to see Legolas do that kickass shooting arrows while sliding down a rope thing,” Alec said as he made room for me on the couch. “Maybe you can take notes?”
“Awesome,” I said with fake enthusiasm. I pulled my legs under myself and gave Alec a tiny shove. “Happy New Year.”
He shoved me back without turning away from the screen. “Yup.”
31
Em dropped her bag on the seat next to me and perched on the armrest, practically glowing. “I’m so glad you finally listened to reason.”
I looked around us at the empty auditorium—except for me and Em, everyone else was already on stage or backstage, preparing for rehearsal. Em had parked us in the second row, close enough that I could hear the thunk of the dancers’ feet as they warmed up.
“It was either this or getting an extra shift inventorying yarn for the shop.”