Dating and Dragons (Dungeons and Drama, #2) (63)
“Annoying?”
“It’s not fair for him to be hot and kind. It’s always the unattainable guys who’re like that.”
My throat closes and I turn to her, hoping her expression will make it clear she’s joking. But she looks dead serious.
“You think Logan is hot?”
“Oh, come on.” She glances at me with an almost disgruntled expression. “It’s no secret. I mean, unless you’re not into beautiful boys.”
“I’m into them,” I say faintly, and take a sip of my coffee.
“I figured. Be honest, what was your first thought when you saw him in that costume at the comic fest?” She grins at me before looking in the rearview mirror and backing out of the space. “I practically had to wipe the drool off my chin.”
I swallow my coffee wrong and start hacking. “Whoa.” I cough a few more times. “Um, I didn’t know you thought about Logan like that.”
Kashvi pulls onto the road with a dreamy sigh. “I have lots of thoughts about Logan.”
“Have you…said anything to him about it?”
She bolts upright in her seat. “Oh god no!” She looks horrified at the very idea. “He better never know. It’s not like I’m planning on acting on any of it. Can you imagine?”
My stomach roils with nausea. “Right. Totally weird.”
“I know he’s just a friend—I gave up on all that long ago. And it’s not like I’m in love with him or something.” She turns and grins at me. “But I wouldn’t mind a few minutes alone in the dark with him.”
One look at my expression has her cackling. She turns down my street. “Calm down, Quinn, I’m just kidding!”
“I’m surprised, that’s all.” I take a slow breath and try to calm myself enough that my voice doesn’t quake. “I knew you really liked him as a friend, but I had no idea about this.”
“Good, that was the plan. Did I ever tell you that we tried to recruit another girl from my French class to the group before you transferred, and Sloane nixed her? It turned out Mark had had a crush on her for years and Sloane could see the writing on the wall.” She shrugs. “At least a girl can daydream.”
She pulls into my driveway, and I surge out of the car before she can say one more thing about Logan. I fight to keep my expression as normal as possible, but I need to get far away from this conversation ASAP. I thought things were already a mess with him, but that was nothing compared to Kashvi having feelings for him.
“I’ll text you to figure out a time to get together and work on more pieces, okay?” She leans over the passenger seat and gives me the brightest smile, like she doesn’t have a care in the world. “We’re gonna take over the world!”
She drives away and my vision goes hazy as I watch her car in the distance, feeling like I just got punched in the head. Kashvi likes Logan? Kashvi has secretly liked Logan this whole time? How could this situation get any worse? I reconsider all the times we’ve talked about Logan. She’s always been complimentary about him, saying how he’s a good guy or kind or a gentleman, but I never thought anything of it. And she said he was cute the evening after the comic fest, but I was so caught up in myself that I assumed she was only picking up on my emotions. I think I might be sick.
It’s happening all over again, just like it happened with Paige. Kashvi’s going to hate me if she finds out about Logan and me. It will affect not only the game but also our friendship. No more jewelry-making, no more sleepovers. Maybe no more friendship at all. Something has to give. I can’t lose any more friends.
I walk into the house to find it in chaos. Andrew is racing down the stairs, Dad is putting two different shoes on his feet, and Mom is glaring down at her phone.
“Uh, hi?” I say.
Mom glances up and sighs with relief. “Thank god, I was calling you right now. Your grandma fell again—we’re heading to the hospital.”
* * *
The rest of the evening only gets worse, and that’s really saying something. It turns out Grandma fell in the bathroom and didn’t have the strength to get back up. Luckily her phone was close enough for her to call Dad in the hopes he’d come over to help. Much to her annoyance, he called the ambulance instead.
Trips to the ER are never fun, but add in a feisty old woman who doesn’t want to be there and things get much rougher. I was scared Dad would need to be admitted by the end, he was so frazzled and exhausted. Luckily, Grandma didn’t break any bones. I thought the drama was finished by the time my parents dropped Andrew and me off at the house that evening, but I guess they had “a talk” with her when they got her home. I woke up Tuesday to the news that she’d officially agreed to move out of her house but was not happy about it.
So now we’re all here Tuesday evening to check on her and start packing. Describing the mood as uncomfortable doesn’t do it justice. I know my parents could use the moral support, but honestly, I can’t keep my thoughts focused solely on family. As soon as I found out Grandma needed to go to the hospital, I texted Logan. It wasn’t even a conscious decision. I got the news, climbed in the back of the car, and texted him like it was the most natural thing in the world. But should it be? I should’ve texted the whole group, but I didn’t want to hear from all of them. I only wanted to hear from him.