I left Rys's house feeling a hundred times lighter. I'd expected him to judge me for my reckless drinking, immature nicknames, and awkwardness, but instead, we chatted nonstop all afternoon like old friends.

Except friends didn't feel shivers from each other's touch, and their heartbeat didn't go into a frenzy from one caress.

Maybe I was the only one feeling that way. It'd be easier to spend time with Rys knowing he saw me only as a girl in a relationship he helped once.

He didn't need to know that I hadn't thought about Brock since last night. When Rys was around, I didn't check my phone for texts. I enjoyed the day without obsessing over Brock's whereabouts and Payton's possible resentment toward my money.

My family money since I couldn't touch my hefty trust fund because of a stupid clause. If it were mine, I would've already found a jewelry design school to enroll in.

I changed into a white tank and gray sweats and retrieved the bag with beads and jewelry patterns from the closet.

This evening, I settled at the table in the backyard to make a red-and-blue seed beads necklace and earrings. The bold, bright colors were perfect for wearing with plain clothes. As I opened the folder of patterns I'd printed, my phone rang.

I hit the green icon and pressed the cell to my ear. "Hi, Pay."

"Hi there," Payton sang. "How's your vacation going?"

"Great so far. How's work?"

She huffed. "Same old, but I'm going out tonight. I wish you were here."

"I miss you too," I said, leafing through designs in the folder. "Who are you going out with?"

"Some workmates you don't know. Did you hear from Brock?"

"Not since yesterday morning," I said. What I didn't want Payton to know was that I called him only to be spoken to as if I were an overbearing, clingy girlfriend who never gave him space. How little he cared about me was sad to admit, even more so because Payton rooted for us and thought we were made for each other.

"Lyra..." Pity dripped from Payton's voice.

"It's okay. Really. I'm enjoying my solo time."

She chuckled. "Well... Solo, or maybe you're also taking advantage of the break?"

Although I noticed the also part, I ignored it. "I'm going to make a necklace and call it a day. Have fun with your friends."

"And you with your hobby."

I hung up first because I had no clue what else to say, and had a gut feeling mentioning Rys wasn't smart.

My thoughts kept drifting to him as I started netting. When it got dark, save for the moonlight, I lit a few scented candles I'd brought and continued working.

At eleven, footsteps made my heart skip a beat like last night. Rys strolled toward me, wearing a suit jacket over a white button-down paired with black slacks. Now he looked every bit the CEO he was.

"Still up?"

I rested the necklace on the table. "It's not late yet, and I was busy. How was dinner?"

"Great," he said, sitting in an empty chair. "And wow."

He examined the unfinished accessory, cocking his head as if to look at it from different angles.

"It's not difficult to make. You just need to focus."

Focusing was way easier when he wasn't near, but I'd never admit it sober.

Rys trawled his gaze over my face. "It's beautiful. In case you were wondering why I'm here, I wanted to see you, but also, I need to ask you a favor, and I hope you say yes."

"A favor?"

"A big one."

My insides buzzed with a mix of excitement and curiosity. Rys stretched out his long legs and pinned his folded arms over his chest. "So, I have a friend."

"Just the one?"

Amusement tinted his eyes. He rubbed his chin, smiling with one side of his mouth. "One of them. We don't see each other often because he travels as much as I do, if not more. Anyway, Asher and his girlfriend Kaia are coming to spend a week in Marfolk. I invited them to dinner, but I don't feel like being a third wheel. Would you join us tomorrow?"

"At your place?"

"Yeah. Ash likes his privacy, so we'll cook or order something if we're lazy."

It'd be our second time dining together, but this time, nobody needed to apologize. We'd hang out with another couple and tell them we were...friends?

Rys shifted forward in his chair. "Come on, say yes."

His unusual insistence brought a smile to my lips. "Okay. But what are you going to tell them? They'll think we're..."

"They'll think nothing," he said. "And we don't need to explain a thing."

Not needing to give excuses was freeing. "Fine."

"Thank you." Rys lifted himself out of his seat and rounded the table, stopping by my side. He leaned down. The woodsy notes of his cologne invaded my personal space, but I didn't mind. I wanted to breathe him in. He placed his warm palms on my shoulders and brushed his lips across my cheek. "Good night, Lyra."

Then he left. And my heartbeat took a while to return to normal.

***

The following morning, Rys left another brown bag with a muffin and a post-it note on my porch. The message informed me he'd be waiting for me at his place at seven. I spent my free day sunbathing, getting acquainted with the town, and sampling lemon sorbet from an ice cream truck.

After an afternoon power nap, I chose an outfit for tonight — a backless, red sundress. The plunging neckline almost made me doubt my choice, but the color looked good on me, and I never got a chance to wear it back home.

When I rang Rys's doorbell later, I was calmer than the day before. The new familiarity between us eased my nerves, even though I replayed the barely-there kiss on the cheek he gave me so many times one would think I was an inexperienced virgin.

Rys opened the door and wordlessly stared at me.

"Is it too much?" I asked, looking down at my chest. Maybe the dress was too revealing. "I had no idea what to wear."

The lines of his neck moved as he swallowed. "No. It's perfect. Come with me."

I crossed the familiar foyer, and Rys led me to what must've been a dining room, where a rectangular, already set glass table stood by the window facing the patio.

"Are we going to eat here?"

"I thought it was better than the kitchen, and it's too hot outside. We'll have some cold drinks on the patio after. Ash said he'll help me cook, and he's also bringing something."

"Speaking of, I brought some wine." I patted my raffia bag.

"You didn't have to, but thanks. We can leave it in the kitchen."

I handed him the bottle of Merlot. As Rys turned to leave, an engine roared outside.

Nerves tied my stomach in knots, but a smile sprang onto his lips. He left the wine on the dining table and grabbed my hand, steering me toward the foyer.

We stepped onto the porch. A motorbike was in the driveway, and a tall, athletic guy laughed, helping a girl take off her helmet. Once without it, she raked her hands through the light brown hair tumbling over her shoulders in shiny waves and cupped his cheeks, kissing him on the lips.

"Hola," Rys called.

They looked our way, and the girl smiled shyly. The dark-haired guy tipped his chin up with a cocky grin. "Delano."

He hung the helmet on the handlebar, tossed his leather jacket onto the bike's seat, and jogged over to us with his girlfriend in tow.

"Cuánto tiempo," he said, hugging Rys tightly.

The language sounded like Spanish, but I didn't speak it, and the meaning of the words was lost on me.

"He said 'long time no see' in Spanish," the girl next to me said. "I'm Kaia."

"Lyra."

She air-kissed both of my cheeks and laughed, surely noticing my puzzlement. "I'm sorry. We got back from Spain two days ago. Two kisses are a Spanish thing."

"Did you like Spain?"

"I loved it. Ash!"

Her boyfriend interrupted his chat with Rys and walked over. "¿Qué pasa?"

"He asked what's up." Kaia rolled her hazel eyes. "Speak English. Not everyone understands Spanish here."

"Delano does." Ash pointed at Rys, who joined us and stood beside me.

"Guys, this is Lyra," he said.

"Asher." The guy extended his hand, and I shook it. "I'd kiss your cheek"— he glanced at Rys — "but Delano would kill me."

Rys's lips quirked. "Sure would. Let's go in unless you're not hungry."

Kaia held her index finger up. "Wait. We brought something."

She dashed to the bike and returned with a backpack. Asher took it from her with a soft smile. "Too heavy for you."

"What's in there?" Rys asked.

"I'll show you. Come on."

The guys went to the kitchen while I led Kaia to the dining room.

"So beautiful," she said, glancing around. "You have an excellent taste."

"Not me. Rys."

Explaining the nature of our non-relationship seemed like too much work, and I wanted Rys to decide what to tell his friends.

"Let's sit?" I asked Kaia, who assented with a polite smile and pulled a chair out.

"If one of us uses Spanish and you don't understand, don't keep quiet," she said as we sat across from each other. "Ash and I speak both, and Rys lived in Spain for a while as I'm sure you know."

Except I didn't, just like I had no clue Rys's last name was Delano. It seemed familiar now, almost as if someone had mentioned it before, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"How long have you and Asher been together?" I asked Kaia and regretted the question almost instantly. I didn't know her well enough to ask that sort of thing, and if she asked me the same, I wouldn't have an answer because the guy I dated wasn't here.

Kaia tucked her long, wavy strands behind her ears, revealing a pair of silver hoop earrings. "We met when I was twelve, and Ash was fifteen. I'm twenty now, but...it's hard to explain because he's my stepbrother."

That sounded complicated. "And is your family..." I paused, not knowing how to voice the question.

"If you want to know whether they're okay with our relationship, the answer is they wouldn't be if they knew, but I love him too much to care."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to seem nosey or judgmental."

"You're neither." A shrug rolled over her shoulders. "I thought Rys already told you because our close friends know. It's our parents, his mother and my father, who'd rather see us suffer being apart than accept that we want to be together."

Her family's lack of acceptance was relatable. "That sucks."

Kaia glanced toward the doorway. "It is what it is. We have each other. The rest can go screw themselves."

"I was away for five minutes, and you're already setting the world on fire and telling people to screw themselves," Asher said, entering the room holding a plate with something yellow. It almost looked like a pie, but wasn't like any pie I'd seen before. He set the dish in the center of the table. "Spanish omelet."

"La tortilla he made," Kaia said. "It's his signature dish. You have to try it; it's delicious."

Unbothered by my presence, Asher planted a kiss on her lips and left the room.

Kaia and I chatted about our degrees. I found out she was studying Spanish and lived an hour away from me, which would be great if we kept in touch after tonight.

She seemed honest and unapologetic, someone who wasn't easily influenced or intimidated if I judged her character based on how fiercely she defended what she and Asher had. I admired that; I wished I had those traits and could be that brave.

Fifteen minutes later, Rys and Asher carried plates with appetizers into the room. When everything was arranged on the table, and we had wine in our glasses, Asher sat next to Kaia, and Rys lowered himself into a chair beside me, so close our knees brushed.

"To evenings like this and the best company," he said, raising his glass. Although he looked at his friends as he spoke, I couldn't shake off the feeling that his words were addressed to me.

I bet Lyra was happy to spend a nice evening with Rys and his friends. And he was thoughtful to invite her. Was it really a favor, though?

More on Friday. Maybe the most important chapter to date.

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