I choked on air. "Moooom," I groaned, feeling the heat crawl up my neck.
"It's not like that."
She didn't even say anything. She just raised one eyebrow like she knew everything.
"Then why," she asked sweetly, "are you beet red?"
"I'm—" I stumbled, feeling the lie crash against the back of my teeth. "I'm just… hot! There's so many people in here and it's… you know. Warm."
Mom chuckled, clearly not buying a single word of it.
I mumbled something about helping Olivia again and bolted, weaving through the room until I made it to the hallway.
Once I slammed my bedroom door shut behind me, I pressed my forehead against it and groaned.
Get a grip, Aria. It's not like that.
Kael wouldn't want… whatever that was. He was my boss. He was complicated. Dangerous. Half the time, I wasn't even sure if he liked me, let alone thought of me that way.
Besides…
Besides, people like him didn't end up with people like me. They didn't stay.
