Free Scandalous by Victoria Christopher Murray Page A

he stepped into the hall. I didn't know if he turned back or not because the moment he cleared the door, I shut it behind him.
    “ That was weird, huh? ” Kyla said.
    My best friend had absolutely no idea.
    She continued, “ When I saw him downstairs, he said he was visiting his girlfriend. ”
    “ Really? ”
    “ Yeah. It wasn't like I asked him anything. He just kept talking and I kept listening. ”
    “ What else did he say? ” I really wanted to change the subject, but I felt like I needed to know everything. It wasn't that I was curious; I needed to figure out just how crazy this dude was.
    “ He just talked about his girlfriend. Told me that she was the love of his life and how she had been engaged to someone else when they met. ”
    “ What? ” was what I thought. “ Wow, ” was what I said.
    “ I know! ” Kyla said. “ Then he started asking me questions. He wanted to know what I was doing here, and after he had shared all of that, I felt like I had to tell him. ”
    She chuckled, but I didn't.
    “ I told him that you were getting married today, ” she continued, “ but he didn't really remember you … which was weird. 'Cause he remembered me and he spent all of that time talking to you! ” Kyla shrugged. “ Well anyway, enough about that guy. This is your day. And it's all about you. ” She scurried over and hugged me. “ Did I come too early? Did I wake you? ”
    “ Nah, ” I said with my voice so shaky. My heart still hadn't returned to its normal beat, but I wasn't worried about Kyla noticing. She would just chalk it up to pre-wedding nerves. “ I've been up for a while. ”
    “ Couldn't sleep, huh? ” Kyla laughed. Thank God she didn't wait for me to answer. She said, “ It was just like that for me too, remember? I tossed and turned the whole night before my wedding. I bet you did that too. ”
    Yup, I had done some tossing and turning last night. But now it was my stomach that was flipping and flopping.
    Turning away from me, she said, “ This place is beautiful! ” Her voice was filled with wonder as she strolled through the living room.
    For the first time since I'd opened the door for Kyla, my thoughts turned to something that could make me smile. Kyla's reaction was exactly what I wanted. Everything in her life was always exceptional and next to her, I'd always felt so average. But today, she would be in awe of me.
    “ I would've loved to have stayed here with you last night, ” she said as she stood at the balcony window. She pressed her face against the glass, and I cringed a little. If she'd known what had gone down right where she stood, just a couple of hours ago, she would have backed up for real. And now that my thoughts were back to Roman, my smile faded.
    “ Well anyway, I'm here now. ” She turned back to me. And then, as if she was looking at me for the first time, she gasped, “ Your hair! ”
    “ I know! ” I was so glad to have something else to focus on. “ But you can hook me up, right? ”
    She sighed like it was going to be a big task, but her grin told me that she was up for it. “ Well, we'd better get started. We only have, ” she glanced at her watch, “ five hours before you become a wife like me! ” She squealed, jumped up and down and clapped her hands, reminding me of our days together in kindergarten.
    “ I'd better get in the shower, I guess. Serena should be here in a little while, and then the wedding planner said she wanted to go over some things with me. ”
    “ Okay. Do you want me to order up something for you to eat? ”
    I paused. When was the last time I ate? Dang -- I'd spent all those hours having sex. Food didn't matter.
    And now, I didn't want a thing. Roman had stolen my appetite.
    “ I'm not hungry. ”
    “ I'm gonna order you something anyway, ” she said as she shooed me away. “ Now get going. I'll take care of everything. ”
    She laughed and I tried to laugh, too. But it was hard because I didn't feel the joy