Page 65 of Shadows of Stardust

“How’s Tev?” I ask her when the excitement dies down.

“He’s good. Still sexy. Still obsessed with me.”

I snort a laugh.

“Only…” Juni starts, trailing off.

“Only what?”

“Only, I might be in a bit of a… situation.”

Despite what could be cause for alarm, there’s a heavy dose of humor in Juni’s tone. I look over, and she sighs dramatically, like I’m twisting her arm and demanding she spill the tea.

“Alright. Alright. It’s not a situation, per se. But it is a Sendahlan.”

“A Sendahlan,” I deadpan.

“A very handsome Sendahlan named Serril who just so happens to have caught my eye, and who just so happens to be open to… sharing.”

“Sharing. As in…”

“As in, exactly what you’re thinking. And, I mean, he does have two—”

“Ah,” I interrupt, absolutely not in the mood to hear about her potential boyfriend’s penises. “I got it. And what does Tev think about the prospect of sharing?”

“Tev thinks…” she trails off, eyes wandering to where Tev’s got the ball again, putting on a truly impressive athletic display dodging opponents as he makes his way to what seems to be an end-zone of some sort.

At least until Zandrel pummels him into the sand in a full-body tackle.

Juni and I both wince, but a few seconds later, Zandrel hoists Tev to his feet, claps him on the shoulder, and the game goes on.

“Tev’s a little overwhelmed with it all, but…” The corner of her mouth quirks into a devious smile.

“But?”

“I think he might be more attracted to Serril than I am.”

I bark out a laugh. “So, no problem then?”

“No problem,” she says, but something in her tone gives me pause.

“And it’s all just for show, anyway, right?” I prompt. “Just a little fun and screentime?”

“Right. Just for fun.”

Arching a brow, I lower my sunshades. “Unless you… like him? Like both of them?”

Juni is silent for long enough that it’s my turn to smile like the cat that caught the canary.

She groans. “Stop.”

The word comes out in a long whine, and my smile only grows wider. “Juni. Don’t tell me you’re in—”

“Absolutely not,” she interrupts, aghast. “It’s just… they’re both… both so…”

“Dreamy? Wonderful? They make your heart race? Put big, ooey gooey stars in your eyes and—”

“Point made,” she grumbles. “And it would be just like me to mess this all up and actually fall for someone here.”

---