People swarmed around us, and I realized belatedly that the song had ended. The DJ was taking a quick intermission, but we lingered on the dance floor, our hands still clasped together.
Despite her casual tone, I could almost hear her heart beating as she looked at me—or maybe that was my own pulse, racing from the sudden charge in the air.
I could lie. I was good at it, and I was better acquainted with falsehoods than I was with the truth.
But I was sick of the lies, and I was tired of pretending.
I kept my eyes fixed on hers when I finally answered, my voice low. “She wasn’t the one I wanted to be here with.”
CHAPTER 23
Maya
SEBASTIAN’S WORDS HUNG IN THE AIR.
The ensuing silence was so pure, so absolute, that my ears rang from the clarity.
She wasn’t the one I wanted to be here with.
“So who did you want to be here with?” The question slipped out with a touch more breathlessness than I would’ve liked.
For the past week, my mind had churned out dozens of images of what Sebastian’s date might look like—statuesque blondes, sultry brunettes, voluptuous redheads. There’d been no Stop button, and after all that mental energy, it turned out the date didn’t exist at all.
I hated the tingle of relief in my chest.
“That’s not how this works, Sal,” Sebastian murmured. His grip was firm and steady, and I couldn’t pull away even though I knew I should. “One question per person. It’s my turn.” His eyes bored into mine. “Why didn’t you bring your date?”
My mouth dried, the truth hovering on the tip of my tongue.
I really had planned on bringing Zack. After my fight with Sebastian, I’d gone home, updated my RSVP, and sent Zack thewedding itinerary.
But in the end, I’d chickened out and canceled, saying it was too late for me to add a plus-one. I would’ve brought him mainly to spite Sebastian, and that wasn’t fair.
I knew deep down he was just a placeholder because when I pictured myself dancing with someone, I didn’t see Zack, Nikhil, or any of the dozens of men I’d been on dates with.
I saw dark hair and amber eyes, tanned skin and an infuriating smirk. I heard the trace of a French accent and the familiar cadence of a lazy drawl. Anything else felt wrong, like I was trying to squeeze into shoes that were a size too small.
And that scared the crap out of me because I was not supposed to feel this way about Sebastian Laurent. I couldn’t. It went against the natural order of things.
“Zack couldn’t make it.” I forced the truth back down. “Work.”
Sebastian’s eyes flickered. “You’re lying again.” It was a gentle reproach, but with one look, I felt like he could dig beneath my skin and uncover all my secrets.
The DJ returned from his break. Music blasted again, muffling the rising panic in my thoughts, but pressure ballooned behind my ribcage like a bubble on the verge of popping. The walls seemed to close in on me, and my breaths came out in short, shallow bursts.
“I need—I need air.” I yanked my hand out of his and shoved my way through the newly gathered crowd, my ears ringing. The other guests melded into a blur of bright colors and warped laughter.
I kept moving, too afraid to stop, until I burst out of the tent and into the open night.
I gasped in a lungful of fresh air, and another, and another, until my heart slowed and the world steadied.
Eventually, my vision cleared, revealing the gardens separating the wedding tent from the main hotel. Ten-foot hedges lined the pathto a small lake dotted with lily pads. Strings of fairy lights twinkled overhead, and the scents of jasmine and marigolds perfumed the air. A pale wash of silvery light cast an ethereal glow over the scene, but I couldn’t enjoy it. The soundproofed tent masked the party going on inside, and the sudden silence was disorienting.
“Maya.”
I spun around, my breath hitching again when Sebastian came into view. The darkness pooling near the hedges hid his expression until he stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. For once, he wasn’t wearing his trademark smirk.
“You shouldn’t have followed me.” I hated how my voice trembled. “I want to be alone.”