Page 52 of Dark Embers

So when Arya pulled away from our hug and asked, “How’re things going?” my only response was, “Same old, same old.”

“Let’s grab some lunch before we get started,” Ashlyn suggested as we started walking down the mile. “If I shop on an empty stomach, I’m going to make some really bad choices.”

“Good idea,” I said. Bad choices were kinda my thing these days, and if filling my belly could prevent them, I was all for it. And it would give Arya and I a chance to talk, even if I had no idea what exactly to tell her.

We settled on a pizza place called By The Slice, which was just an ordering window along the street where you could order a single slice of pizza with literally any topping you could think of. We each placed our orders and waited at a cafe table in the sitting area on the corner of the building for our slices to come out.

Mine came out first, a huge slice smothered in so much pepperoni and cheese that both were flooding into a pool on my plate. Ashlyn came back next with what looked like boneless wings drenched in buffalo sauce. We dug into our food as we waited for Arya to come back.

“Omigod, this is so good!” I moaned as I chewed with my cheeks stuffed, the spices and tang of the pepperoni giving me a mouth-gasm. “My cheese is so stringy I could twirl it around a fork like spaghetti.”

“I know! This pizza is so incredible, I think it just got me pregnant,” Ashlyn groaned, her eyes rolling back into her head and her eyelids twitching slightly.

I snorted chewed pizza into the back of my throat as a laugh burst out of me, making me choke and fight a coughing fit.

Arya sat down between us, the top of her slice covered in questionable gray and reeking like an old gym bag.

“Good lord, what the fuck is that?” I sputtered as I still struggled to swallow after choking.

She looked defensively up at me and shrugged. “What? As a mermaid, I’m supposed to have more fish in my diet, so I ordered double anchovies.”

My throat tightened with a gag for a new reason, and I held up a hand. “I’m sorry, Arya. You’re my best friend, but that’s disgusting.”

She smiled as she lifted her slice to her mouth. “Looks good to me.” She took a bite, swooning as she chewed. “Mmm, and it tastes so good too!”

Ashlyn and I shared a look of revulsion that turned into amusement before returning to make out with our own slices. As soon as that salty, cheesy goodness hit my tongue, I forgot all about Arya’s pizza abomination.

“So, how was your Thanksgiving?” I asked when I managed to pull myself away from the sexiest triangle of pastry ever concocted.

Arya swallowed the bite she was chewing and shrugged, but I could see the reticence in her downcast eyes. “Eh, it was okay. Pretty lonely, actually.”

“Yeah. Everyone went home for the holiday, so the Dome’s pretty much empty,” Ashlyn added.

I frowned. I knew Arya would be struggling with this weekend, which was why I’d invited her so many times to come over, but I understood her rejection of my offer. If I didn’t have Gram,I’d probably have spent the day gorging on ice cream and binge-watching old movies.

“What did you end up doing?” I asked.

She dabbed a napkin across her lips. “Pretty much had a pity party with a pint of ice cream and Netflix.”

My lips formed an awkward blend between a frown and a smirk. “That’s exactly what I would’ve done. I should have forced you to come over and tied you to the chair so you couldn’t leave.”

Arya laughed as she set down her abhorrent pizza slice on her plate. “And I should have let you. I thought spending a day by myself would be better, especially after my interaction with Tobias the night before.”

I narrowed my eyes at her in accusation. “Please tell me you’re not giving him another chance after the way he dissed you on your date.”

She shook her head rapidly. “No, definitely not.”

I pursed my lips.Liar.

“So what did Prince Dracul have to say?” Ashlyn asked. “Did he at least apologize?”

“Nope, no apology.” Arya sighed, sitting back in her chair. “I was working on my sparring in the gym after dinner, and he walked in. I was determined to ignore him, but apparently, my punching technique was wrong, and he felt compelled to correct me.”

I shook my head. “Typical guy.”

Ashlyn nodded. “Did you turn around and punch him in his smug face?”

Arya snickered. “Well, what he had to say was actually helpful. And then he offered to let me watch him run through a level in the Simulation Room.”

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