Page 25 of Tasting Innocence
“Maybe we should head inside before someone comes looking for us.”
“Yeah,” she replies breathlessly. “Um. You go first.”
I eye her for a few seconds. “You okay?”
She forces a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. You go ahead. I’ll see you in there soon.”
I know she’s keeping something from me, but I know I won’t get it out of her now. I don’t think I offended her. At least I hope not. Violet’s had numerous boyfriends and admirers, so what I said can’t be too explicit.
“Did I overstep?” I ask.
She lets out a small chuckle, toeing the grass with her shoe. “No, it’s fine. Really. I guess you were right. I haven’t heard it all.”
My phone dings in my pocket, and when I pull it out I see a message from Renzo.
“Zo’s looking for you.”
She rolls her eyes. “There’s another door. You go through the front and I’ll meet you inside.”
“Okay.”
It only takes a minute to get back to the hotel, but for the entirety of those sixty seconds, I think about what I just did. Not only kissing Violet, but potentially ruining the longest friendship I’ve had. Renzo’s a good guy. The best. But if I had a younger sister and one of my friends went after her, I’m not so sure how I’d feel about that. I have to tell him, but I can’t even imagine how to start that conversation.
“There you are. What were you doing outside?” Trevor asks.
“Just walking around. Didn’t know I had to check in.”
“You seen Vi?” Zo asks.
“Not since earlier.”
“I’ll go look in her room again,” Scarlet offers.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Nothing. She just isn’t around and both her friends are here, so I want to make sure she didn’t get locked in some stairwell again or something,” he says with a chuckle.
“Ah. Okay.”
Before Scarlet can get up the stairs, Violet struts in through a hall that houses the office for the workers.
“Oh, so you’re not locked in the walls again,” Zo says.
“Ha-ha. Funny.” She glances around at everyone before her eyes land on mine briefly. “Well, I’m gonna go upstairs and change. I’ll be back.”
“We’re gonna be in the parlor.”
“Parlor,” Jayden repeats. “I sound so refined using that word. We should call rooms parlors more often.”
“Or a drawing room,” Bryant adds.
“I’d prefer to call it a salon,” Monique states.
I ignore everyone as they start talking about what to call basic living rooms, and watch as Violet ascends the steps. I debate on whether I should follow her or not. It’s probably best that I don’t, but the urge to be alone with her keeps growing.
I end up staying downstairs and getting caught up with games with the guys, and I never see Violet again. I notice the girls leave after a while, probably to go talk to her, and I can only imagine that I’m the topic of conversation between those three girls. And that is terrifying.