Page 63 of Royally Ruined

“Gina!” She flopped heavily onto the bed and kicked off her socks. My parents kept the house at a toasty eighty degrees in winter. “Oh, sweetie pie. Don’t act like there’s nothing going on between you two.”

Flinching, I hugged the sleeping bag I’d pulled down. “Like what?”

“Likethis.” Rolling over, she started humping the bed and making increasingly louder fake moans.

I threw the sleeping bag at her face. “Gina! Come on, my parents are right downstairs!”

Blowing me a kiss, she stretched out on the red material. “I’m teasing. But you need to tell me the truth. You’ve been hanging out with him every night for forever now, right?”

“It hasn’t been forever!”

“Two weeks now, if my memory serves?”

I bristled uncomfortably. “Time is weird when you’ve been running from people trying to murder you.”

“Sure, sure. Was that enough of a mood killer not to screw him?” Blushing furiously, I looked for something else to throw. Her triumphant grin was killing me inside. “Heather! You slept with him and you waited until now to tell me? What kind of friend are you?”

She made room for me and patted the spot on the bed beside her. Joining her, I put my face in my hands and groaned. “Why are you busting my chops so hard?”

“To make you feel better.” Her arm slid around, hugging me. “I’m a master at cheering you up.”

Snorting, I leaned into the hug. “Hardly.” Except it was working. Her gentle ribbing had been such a factor in my world, and having it back was refreshing. For a while we stayed like that, hugging without a word. My eyes trailed over my old room, studying the photos, which were mostly of buildings. I’d wanted to get used to using a camera and developing film, like in old crime-solving movies. I didn’t care about the subject matter.

“Hey,” she whispered, half laughing. “Did your parents really not know where you worked?”

“Of course not. I never told them.”

“Just seems weird they wouldn’t figure it out by now. Even a hunch.”

“Mn. They’ve always trusted me. As long as I seem happy, they won’t dig deeper.”

“Yeah.” She fidgeted, her grip going slack around me. I couldn’t see her face from my angle because her hair hung in the way. “You’re good at seeming happy.”

“Gina?”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me I was holding you back?”

“What?” I sat up straight. She was smiling, but there was no denying the tears that threatened to spill over in her eyes. “Gina ... it’s not your fault.” I’d forgotten she’d been trying to eavesdrop on me and Costello. Had she heard everything?

Gently she pushed me away. Her arms wrapped around to hug her now, leaving me out of the picture. “I knew you wanted to be a cop when you were younger. I mean, we played the damn games together, where your uncle would set up clues and we’d run around solving them ... It’s not like I wasn’t aware, I just thought ...”

I reached for her hand; she let me take it, but she kept staring at the floor. Gina didn’t blink, and I knew that if she did, the tears would break free. She whispered, “I never asked you to guard me. I thought you stayed because you liked working with me.”

“I did like working with you!”

“No. You liked feeling like you were keeping me safe.” Her chin swayed up, her smile crinkling at the corners as it struggled not to shatter. “And you did! You kept me from being hurt so many times, and with Darien, you—” Choking, she covered her face as warm water streamed between her fingers.

Curling her to my chest, I stroked her hair. “Shh shh shh,” I soothed. It took all I had not to break down with her. The last time I’d seen Gina in person, she’d been a battered mess. Talking to her on the phone wasn’t the same as touching her. This woman was my best friend; she’d seen me at my worst, my best, and all the bits that slide in between.

So why did I feel like I’d betrayed her somehow?

“Gina,” I started. She was trembling, letting out so much pent-up emotion.She was just as scared as me this whole time.“It wasn’t your fault. I should have been brave enough to tell you what I wanted to do. And I should have trusted that you could take care of yourself. I’m so sorry I kept this secret for so long.”

She could barely talk, her words sounding like, “Ifb ohb kay!” Sniffling, she embraced me to the point of choking. Her face was wet on my neck. “I’m ... sorry ... too!” Her hiccups turned into laughter.

My smile was uncertain. “Why are you laughing?”

“Because you don’t need to be my guardian angel anymore.”

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