Page 41 of The Friend Situation

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I finally ask, my voice laced with uncertainty, caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze.

“Why are you here?” he counters, a serious edge creeping into his tone.

“You’re joking, right?” I laugh, the sound hollow as I instinctively create space between us as jealousy rears her ugly head.

“Excuse me? Are you meeting someone here?” His eyes search mine, and I can’t ignore his question.

I stare at him, the realization dawning—he’s being completely serious. “Wait.Easton?”

“Carlee,” he responds, his voice laced with concern, “are youokay? How many martinis have you had?”

“Two. Or three,” I reply, my mind racing. “Are you cheating on my best friend?” I ask, my frustration bubbling to the surface and my heart pounding with anger.

He shakes his head vehemently. “Absolutely not. Did it look like I was cheating?”

I replay every interaction I witnessed, wondering if I was naive enough to view it through the lens of potential romance.

Naomi made every move, brushing past him, her fingers grazing his arm each time. He did seem to block her advances, though the earlier warmth between them still clings to the air. And based on how he’s currently looking at me, with those captivating eyes now cold and distant, there’s no way I could be misreading this.

I suck in a deep breath, the bitter taste of betrayal spilling onto my tongue as I realize I was set up. “He’s dead meat.”

“Who?” he asks, genuine confusion etched across his face.

“Youreviltwin,” I say, the weight of my words crashing down as I understand the implications—Weston is in this room, and he must have been watching my reactions the entire time.

I glance around the room, determined to find him.

7

WESTON

Icatch a hint of her perfume, shocked she believes I’m Easton. It’s not an opportunity I thought I’d have, but I move forward since I’m presented with the opportunity. One day, she’ll instantly know if it’s me or my brother. We’re not there yet though.

“Westontrickedme,” she whispers, “which means he’s somewhere, watching me.”

That would’ve been smart because I could’ve watched her reactions. I did catch one glimpse of her, and I imagine her expression was the same one I’d worn when she was with Trever. There was nothing between them, but seeing her with him …fuck. It made me primal. I was ready to rip out his throat.

“I’m confused. Please explain.”

She scans the room, and I lift a brow.

“Continue,” I state.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t say much more.”

She temporarily gives up on the search for me, then meets my eyes, and for a second, I think she might know I’mnotEaston.

“Can you please avoid mentioning that you saw me here tonight? I don’t want to have to explain anything to Lexi yet. And Iwon’t tell her how the prime minister of Italy wanted inside your pants.”

Ahh, she quickly did her research like a good girl. LuxLeaks mainly features celebrities, pop idols, and billionaires with a cult following.

“To be clear, is it because you don’t want to explain that you’re dating my brother?”

She scoffs, then laughs. “Trust me, I’m only here toratehis dating skills. What we have is platonic.”

“Right,” I say, checking my watch. It’s an Easton trait since he’s a psycho about being everywhere on time.

“I’mnotdating Weston,” she urges, making a face.

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