Page 12 of Synodic

“He got my number somehow.” She shrugged her shoulders as if such a thing was a regular occurrence, and with Harlan, it was. He knew how to get what he wanted; the new phone on my nightstand was proof enough. “He gets worried and asks after you. He’s got it bad for you, Keira. It’s really kind of cute!”

Cute wasn’t the first word that came to my mind, it felt more intrusive, and now he was using Natalie to snoop on me.

Suddenly I felt very exposed, stranded on an island without even the barest of palms to shield me from the sun. What else had they talked about? Would she tell him about last night?

“So you two are conspiring with each other now? To get me to go to one of the biggest events of the year? Subtle. Really subtle.” The gall of these two had me questioning my alliances.

Natalie spoke her next words like a patron saint committing an act of great service and self-sacrifice. “He said he’s been having trouble getting ahold of you lately and asked for my help.”

It was true. I had been avoiding him. He didn’t move me in the way I expected love would. No one did. No one even came close.

The touch from Rowen immediately jumped to mind.Thatdefinitely felt like something.

I couldn’t believe I was referring to the fictional man within my head. It was horrible and embarrassing, and I would never admit it to anyone. Even though I’m sure my parents would have some uncomfortable diagnosis for why that is.

She could barely contain her excitement. “Keira, please can we go? Please. Please. Please. Do you know how hard it is to get admittance into an event like this, much less be on the VIP list? Harlan has some friends in high places. We have to go! It would be rude not to accept.”

I had every intention of saying no, of not giving in to their scheming, but sitting at home fixating on Rowen wouldn’t help me get over him. I could use some distance from my thoughts, and what better way to do that than by going out and getting lost in the lights of the night?

“Fine. We’ll go,” I said as I punted my pillow at her playfully.

She caught it easily and squealed so loud it was enough to wake me as if I’d just shot back a double espresso.

My phone buzzed on my nightstand. “That’s probably him now,” she said mischievously, smiling as she ducked out of my room for the second and final time.

I looked down at the name on my screen. Wow. Natalie was an evil genius.

I was tempted to ignore Harlan’s call, but I’d been dodging him for weeks now. Plus, if I went out with him tonight, I should at least get some more details.

I took the call, already knowing where it was headed. “Hi.”

“Did you hear about tonight? Exciting, huh?” His baritone voice was casual. Playing it cool.

“Yeah, Natalie filled me in. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it actually,” I said, not even trying to hide the aggravated tone in my voice. I was less than enthused with his round-about methods of seeing me and I wanted him to know it.

“What part of VIP experience do you have to wrap your head around? It’s going to be great. Unless there’s a reason you’ve been avoiding me,” he said, insinuating his biggest nightmare. “Is there someone else?”

“No. Of course not.” No one real, at least.

“Good. If I saw you with someone else it would destroy me. Tell me you’ll come and won’t leave my side the whole night? I want you to be the beautiful girl on my arm.”

I rolled my eyes, he should have majored in theatre with these dramatics. He had the face for it. “I’ll be there, but you’ll have to share me with Natalie,” I said, knowing I was past the point of no return. I wouldn’t disappoint Natalie by backing out now, and maybe she was right. Maybe a night out would help get my mind off the things I couldn’t control or fully comprehend.

I heard Harlan’s smile through the phone. “A beautiful girl on each arm? Even better. I’ll pick you up at ten.”

7

It wasn’t hard to spot where we were headed. Massive floodlights surrounded a building that glinted obnoxiously like broken shards of manufactured light and crystal. I stared out the car window, more interested in the moon hanging like a sliver of fine bone china in the near starless sky than I was by the thousands of flashing bulbs and hordes of people on their way to Prism.

After an hour, we were still half a block away, stuck in the narrow streets more crowded than usual. This event had garnered quite the attention for its opening night, and I could already tell it was going to be a madhouse.

How Harlan managed to get us all on the guest list was beyond me.

“This is insane! How did you get us in?” Natalie asked, mirroring my thoughts. Her ecstatic voice chimed through the spacious SUV Harlan had picked us up in. Undoubtedly, he ordered the monstrous car through whatever ride-hailing taxi app he deemed best, but he had gone way overboard for just the three of us.

“I know some guys inside,” he replied arrogantly as he squeezed my hand. I had the sudden urge to rip away from his hold and ruffle his hair, just to slightly dishevel his maddeningly flawless veneer. “In fact, I might have to step away for a bit to make a few appearances, nothing I would want to bore you with. It shouldn’t be too long.”

“Sounds important.” Natalie shot me a wicked stare and winked.

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