Page 27 of Double Apex

She’s sitting on the foot of my unmade bed, typing, thumbs flying. Before her peripheral vision warns her, I spot the contact name at the top:Charcoal Suit.

“Aha!” I crow.

She shrieks, and the phone flips out of her hands and spins to the carpet. “What the crap is wrong with you?”

“You’re not dressed up forme, you lying monster.”

She dips to retrieve her phone, giving me a bland smirk. “Aww, were you hoping I wore something special just for you? Are you in wuuuuvvv with me?”

I bite back a snarky retort about how I could never fall for someone with half my IQ, but for one thing I’m not supportive of the IQ scale—it’s fundamentally flawed—and for another it’s too mean-spirited, like bringing a howitzer to a BB gun fight.

I go into the bathroom and shut the water off, then return and sit beside her on the bed.

“Nat, you left the Park Hyatt in Melbourne with Klaus. I know because Cosmin saw you guys.”

Her composure wavers for a moment, then returns. “So what? Wetalked—that’s all,” she says with a careless wave. “Walked a little and had a conversation. He apologized for having been rude that time I mentioned.”

I scoff. “And that’s all?”

“Jesus, Phae.Stop.”

“Fine, whatever. But then why have you been lying to me? Are we friends, or not?”

“That’s a dumb question for an alleged genius.”

I don’t bother pointing out that she’s notansweringmy “dumb question.” I force myself to articulate my biggest worry.

“Okay, look. You’ve only had the job atAuto Racinga few months, and when you took it, we both thought it’d be this endless slumber party for you and me, traveling to the same cities and hanging out a ton. But you seemed to like me more when you were in New York working for the literary magazine and barely ever saw me in person.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

I wait, and her silence speaks volumes.

“Are you, like… sick of me?” I prod.

“No! You’re kind of a jerk sometimes, but—”

“Um,hello? You can be a total Regina George yourself. And now you’re lying too.”

She gets up and goes to the closet as if to find me something to wear, sliding the hangers side to side with no real aim.

“Holding back isn’t the same as lying,” she grumbles. “And I have a good reason: you’re judgmental. I’m an adult, and not stupid. I have a danged MFA from Queen’s U Charlotte.”

“Youaresmart, which is why it kills me to see you making the same mistakes over and over. It’s dangerous to keep believing the tired lines of all these thrilling married douchebags.”

She wheels around. “Klaus. Isn’t. Married.”

“He also isn’t emotionally available!” I cry, flipping botharms up in exasperation. “And you obviously have a crush on him.”

Nat’s eyes narrow. “I wonder why you care so much. Doyouhave a crush on him?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.No.He’s like my cool uncle, and you know it. You’re also stonewalling me right now. What are you hiding?”

She flops onto the bed with a grumpy sigh. “Okay, I slept with him once last December in Abu Dhabi.”

My mouth drops open. “He was that rando you mentioned—the one-night stand?”

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