Undercover Love

Chapter Twenty-Four: If He Talks About Rick Riordan's Books, He's A Green Flag

I take my phone out of my pocket and respond to Luke's texts. He's being flirty again, and honestly, I have no idea how to tell him that things are... different now. Because of Ace. I mean, how do you casually drop "Hey, by the way, I think I'm kind of into someone else" without making things weird? I sigh, my fingers hesitating over the keyboard.

"What's up?" Ace's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. He's leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. There's an edge to his tone that makes me glance up.

"Nothing," I say, shoving my phone into my back pocket. "Just getting ready."

He walks over, eyebrow raised, and I can see his eyes flick to the phone I've just hidden. Before I can move, he reaches behind me, snatching it from my pocket.

"Ace!" I try to grab it back, but he holds it out of my reach, his eyes scanning the screen.

Ace's eyes flash with irritation as he reads the messages on my phone. His fingers grip my phone tightly, and I can see the tension in his jaw. He turns his gaze on me, his voice colder than I've ever heard it.

"Luke, huh? Just harmless dinner plans, right? You gonna pretend like that's not him hitting on you?"

I reach for the phone, desperate to put an end to this before it spirals, but Ace steps back, keeping it out of reach. "It's not like that, Ace," I say, but my voice sounds weak, even to me.

Ace's eyes narrow, his jaw clenching as he lets out a sharp laugh. "Not like that? Seriously, Adriana? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're leading him on. You're texting him, flirting, making plans—what exactly do you call that?"

I groan, my frustration rising. "I didn't want to be rude! He's a friend, okay? I can't just cut him off out of nowhere."

"A friend?" Ace shoots back, raising an eyebrow. "You think it's normal for a friend to say things like this?" He holds the phone up, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "'Maybe we could grab dinner when you're back'? You don't think that means anything?"

I sigh, trying to hold onto my patience. "Ace, it's not like I'm hiding anything. You know about Luke."

"Yeah, I know about him," Ace snaps, throwing my phone onto the bed. "I know you fucked him too."

The words hang in the air, and the tension thickens between us. My stomach tightens, a mix of shame and anger churning inside me. "I can't just forget about him like that," I spit out. "It's not easy to just let someone go when you've fucked them."

Ace's face changes, his eyes darkening with something that cuts straight through me. He takes a step back, his fists clenching at his sides. "Wow," he breathes out, his voice low and edged with fury.

I take a shaky breath, my eyes stinging with sudden tears. "I didn't mean—"

"Yeah, you did," Ace says, his voice hard. "You did mean it. And you know what, Adriana? That's the problem. You can't let go. You can't make a decision, and instead, you just want to drag everyone down with you."

"That's not fair," I argue, but I can hear the pleading in my tone, the desperation. "I just don't know how to handle this. Luke... he's different, okay? He's someone I knew before I—"

"You fucked me?" Ace finishes for me, his face contorting into a grimace. "Yeah, I got that. But guess what, Adriana? I'm here now. Or at least, I thought I was. Until you decided to remind me that I'm not the only one."

I wince, his words like daggers to my chest. "It's not like that, Ace. I swear."

Ace shakes his head, his eyes narrowing as he stares at me. "If I'm just a backup plan for you, then just say it, Adriana. If you're just waiting around for Luke, then tell me now."