On A Night Like This

Chapter Sixteen

“After that fuckery, I went home with a hasty goodbye to Luke. I couldn’t look him in the eye, already paranoid that he already knew what he knew.” she muttered with a bleary sigh.

Ambrose frowned. “What did he do?”

Dyana smirked bitterly. “The Sagars knew better than air their dirty linens in public. It didn’t matter if they were family. I knew that after I’d left that house he had a full-blown argument about me with Maya.”

Ambrose’s fingers traced the delicate line of her jaw. “Didn’t he warn you about his sister?”

“He did.” She replied with a solemn nod and a faint bitter smile. “But I didn’t listen.”

“Dyana, I need to talk to you.” Luke announced grimly, practically plucking her from her group. He didn’t say anything until they got to a private spot.

“What’s up?”

“I think it’s best if you stop whatever it is you’re doing with my sister.” He said bluntly.

Dyana shot a brow with a confused laughter to mask her panic. “Relax, dude. We’re not dating.” She made to leave but he held her arm in a tight grip, stopping her.

“You know what I mean. Stop being evasive.”

“I’m not being evasive. I’m simply stating a fucking fact! ” She snapped.

Luke didn’t back down. “Maya doesn’t care –”

“Oh my God. It’s the same bullshit again.” Dyana cut in.

“She doesn’t care about anyone. Maya’s a stone-cold bitch and you know it. You’ve kept your distance all this time, why now?”

Dyana gave a disbelieved laugh. “Wow.”

“Think about it, Dyana. For once.” He said softly. “Has she ever voiced her feelings?”

“That doesn’t fucking prove shit! It doesn’t mean anything.” She shot back, green eyes wild. “Not everyone is terrific at expressing themselves.”

Luke’s expression turned peeved, irritated, and he tried to contain it. Barely. “Dyana. Don’t let you incessant hunger for love blind you into seeking it from Maya. She’s a dead-end. Maya will hurt you. I’m telling you from experience.”

Dyana gave him a long hard look. One of hurt and anger, before she turned and walked away.

“Luke persuaded me on multiple occasions to an extent I finally snapped. Our friendship suffered during that period. The fights. The cold war. I didn’t speak to him for a while.

The relocation didn’t work out as my parents had planned, so we remained put. And every moment of everyday I dedicated my all to Maya, taking our not moving out as a sign to make the best out of what we had. It was so bad, our parents began to notice. Little by little.

Maya and I had to act detached towards each other when everyone was present. But once alone, we were a fire that consumed everything our bodies had to offer. Our façade didn’t fool Luke, but he wasn’t a snitch even with our ongoing cold war.” She muttered with a soft laugh. “It was sinful, adventurous…reckless even, and I loved it. Loved being with her. Loved the hidden smiles she always gave me; the warm fuzzy feeling I get every time our bodies accidentally touched, and the melting heat I felt whatever our eyes met. The way she looked at me; calm, cold, and a little distant – that was her nature, but there was heat and hunger in them.

Later, I cursed myself.

It turned out that Maya had made a video of the two of us. I was on top so you couldn’t see her face from the direction of the camera. The resolution wasn’t all that great, and it was dark. No one could tell it was me, but…I knew.