But when I was the common denominator in every failed attempt, it was getting harder and harder not to wonder.
I shook my head slightly. “But I still don’t want to be around him.”
“This house is huge,” Theo said. “And there will be a lot of people here all weekend. You don’t have to be anywhere near him if you don’t want to be.”
I bit down on my lower lip, my gaze drifting back toward the door.
The thought of pretending everything was fine… like Diego hadn’t completely blindsided me… made my stomach twist.
“The guy really did a number on you, didn’t he?” Theo asked quietly, like he could see more than I wanted him to.
I let out a breath and gave a small shrug. “We only dated for a couple of weeks, but… I don’t know. I thought he really liked me. Thought we had something good.” I glanced down at my hands. “So yeah, it sucked finding out none of it was real for him.”
“It’s his loss.”
I let out a groan and leaned back against the counter, dragging a hand over my face. “I literally can’t go out there and have him find out I’m still just as single as I was the day he broke up with me.”
But then a new idea hit me.
A plan.
Something I’d done before.
And someone who definitely owed me a favor.
“What are you thinking now?” Theo asked, clearly picking up on the shift in my energy.
“It’s probably crazy…” I said, straightening as the idea took shape. “But instead of leaving, maybe I could ask Miles to pretend to be my boyfriend for the weekend.”
Theo blinked. “You want another fake relationship?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “I mean, Miles totally owes me afterghosting me twice last month. So I can absolutely blackmail him into helping me if he tries to say no.”
Theo opened his mouth, like there was something he wanted to say.
But then, the voices in the kitchen grew louder.
“We should probably get out of here before someone finds us,” I said. So I reached for the door, sliding it open and stepping into the kitchen. But I only made it two steps out of the butler pantry before stopping short.
Because Diego was standing at the counter now, his arm around Selena as they laughed with Alessi and Bash about something.
My stomach twisted.
“Hey,” Alessi said with a smile when she noticed us. “It’s good to see you two finally made it.”
“Yeah.” Bash glanced over, too. “We were wondering when you’d show up.”
“Sorry, we just—” I started, then trailed off as Diego’s gaze landed on me, recognition flickering across his face. Followed by surprise.
Then something else I couldn’t quite place.
Guilt, perhaps?
I swallowed.
“Hey, Nora,” he said cautiously, his gaze searching my face like he was trying to figure out just how in trouble he might be with me.
“Hey,” I echoed, forcing my voice to stay steady.