Stay, Page 3

  #2: No cigarettes. No weekly showers.

  #3. Lauren’s annual party: We’re going. We will get into trouble for going, but we’re going.

  #4. Rock music: Black eyeliner. Glow sticks.

  #5. Niko’s limo.

  #6. Bonfire. Plastic cups. The Pier.

  #7. Dating: Backseats. Football fields.

  #8. Dances: Skirts—the shorter the better. You don’t have to leave with the one who brought you.

  #9. Kissing: How Americans do it. How not to do it.

  #10. Hooking up: No, this isn’t dating. Spin the Bottle. Seven minutes in heaven.

  If Sacha was a good sport, she’d be down for the makeover. If not, Mom and Dad would be back eventually. Mia propped a large pink gift box under the easel. It would make the rules go down sweeter. She draped the whole thing in a large flat sheet.

  ***

  Today’s buffet was especially abundant. Buffet dining was a nice perk of living with Niko. How would Mom respond to the suggestion that they dine buffet-style at home? Probably not well.

  Niko sat at the dining table drinking hot tea and reading the paper. The hot tea worked because he kept his house cool, because Hope liked a chilly temperature. Hope used her fork to push food around on her plate. She arranged it into a more aesthetically appealing array and then abandoned her food in favor of sketching.

  Mia grabbed a ham sandwich and a glass of lemonade and took them to the seat beside Niko. “When? When does Sacha get here?” She bounced up and down in the dining chair as she asked him, both in excitement and to show her enthusiasm for his sister’s arrival.

  Hope slid a novel over to Mia. “This came in a package from Mom and Dad. They sent me sketch paper.”

  “Thanks.” The book’s cover was both familiar and foreign at the same time. It was a copy of one of the Harry Potter novels translated into German. She examined the artwork. Harry had his usual dark hair and a pointier face. Was that what Germans looked like? She turned to the first page and tried to decipher it, the sandwich and pestering Niko forgotten.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  Niko held a white envelope and tapped it against the table. “This came in your parents’ mail.” The return label had ‘THS’ and it was addressed ‘to the parents of Mia Aelwyn.’

  Early for a first progress report. Mia reached for it.

  Niko pulled it away. “It’s addressed to the parents of Mia Aelwyn.”

  Mia smoothed out her napkin and kept her voice steady. “You’re not my parents, Niko.” She took a sip of the sweet lemonade.

  “Hope and I are your guardians for now.”

  Hope, maybe. Him? No. There was no ring on her sister’s finger. “No, you’re not.”

  Niko continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I requested your grades, so Hope and I can make a tutorial plan to ensure you’re on the right path. We can pull up any grades early that need…”

  Mia blinked and pressed her lips together.

  Hope looked up with a startled chuckle. “Mia…”

  “It’s okay.” Mia winked at Hope and took another drink. Niko was stricter than Hope, so this was an opportunity. “Give it to me straight. If I need a tutor then I’ll have to spend more time studying, right?”

  “Yes,” Niko said. “Therefore, we need to tighten your curfew.”

  Yep, she’d seen that coming. She took a strategic bite of the ham sandwich to buy time to work out her proposal. “And if you feel that the grades are fine, then my curfew can be pushed back until later, right?”

  Niko narrowed his eyes at her negotiation tactics. Before he could say anything else, Hope reached over, snagged the envelope, and pulled out Mia’s report card. “Bargain from a position of knowledge.”

  Traitor. Mia frowned and took another drink, her fingers tapping against the cold, wet glass. She’d almost managed a later curfew, or at least a shot at one. Maybe Hope paid more attention than she thought.

  Niko read the small document like it was War and Peace. “Good girl.”

  Steps sounded from the foyer, interrupting his praise. Niko’s eyes lit up. He spared a quick glance at Hope then headed in that direction.

  It had to be Sacha.

  Mia and Hope gave him a minute of familial privacy before following. In the foyer, Niko stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the most handsome guy Mia had ever seen—at least six-two, body of an athlete, face of a model, rich brown hair. Wow.

  Turning to Hope and Mia with a smile, Niko said, “This is my brother, Alexander.”

  “Hello,” Alexander said.

  Wow. Mia waved, too in awe to talk. She’d known Niko had a few siblings and some step-siblings. She hadn’t known they were coming by, but it made sense they would want to be here for Sacha’s arrival. How long was Alexander staying? Did he live in the U.S. too? Lucky us. What a face—cool angles, thick eyelashes around beautiful blue-gray eyes, a perfectly-shaped mouth, square jaw. Before she’d met Niko, she’d imagined most Greek people had dark brown eyes. Was it because their mom was British? Or was she mistaken about Greece?

  Hope reached out to hug him. Alexander stepped out of reach and offered his hand. “Hello.” He was formal for a guy her age. Formal. Foreign. And intriguing.

  Hope shook his hand, and bits of charcoal from her art pencil remained on his fingers. Alexander frowned down at the mark, and when Hope turned her gaze away, he wiped the offending charcoal onto the side of his dark trousers. Formal. Foreign. And picky.

  Niko kept up a running dialogue of small talk about the flight and Greece. Mia didn’t pay attention to the words, but concentrated on Alexander’s rich, deep voice. His accent was even slighter than Niko’s and, if anything, he sounded British. Alexander must go to a boarding school in England, like Sacha. Too bad he hadn’t decided to move here, too. Or had he?

  The staff moved around the periphery, bringing in luggage. It was so like Niko to ship the luggage, and then ship the people, just like he’d done with her and Hope. More bags came in. When her family traveled for vacation, they got one bag and one carry-on. If she couldn’t carry it, she couldn’t bring it. Niko, the wealthy, hired movers and packers and took care of stuff in advance. Mia checked behind them, but no Sacha yet. A ton of luggage, though. Sacha didn’t travel light. If her brothers were circling to greet her, she must be arriving soon. Pulling out her phone, Mia typed, You didn’t tell me you were bringing your brother. He’s hot, maybe the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. Alexander was definitely the hottest guy she’d ever seen, but she didn’t want Sacha to think there were no cute Texas men. Tons lived here—just no one like Alexander. Does he really count as my new family? How am I going to sit across from him and not leap across the table? How long is he staying? When are you getting here already? You can rein me in. Do you totally hate it when your friends hit on your brother? Or just sort of? Mia hit send. Sacha’s friends must all be in love with her brother; not some of them, all of them. He was that hot.

  Lauren had a cute older brother and she hated it when her friends flirted with him. Maybe Sacha would be more open-minded.

  Niko was leading Alexander to the dining room, saying something technical about the jet’s engine. One of the servants dropped what appeared to be a final bag on top of the pile. He closed the door.

  Had Alexander been on the same flight as Sacha? Was she in a different limo? Mia tilted her head and spoke for the first time “So when does Sacha get here?”

  The cell phone in Alexander’s pocket chirped a message notification. It was the same noise hers made when the sound was all the way up.

  Mia froze. Her skin prickled. A horrible suspicion caused her to clench her fists. Crap. Had Alexander carried in Sacha’s phone with the rest of her stuff? That would be bad. She’d just sent Sacha a text about him. Ohh. Noo.

  Chapter 5

  “When does Sacha get here?” Mia repeated her question, super proud of the strained, weirded-out tone in her voice.

  Niko patted Alexander’s arm. “Sacha’s here.”

&nbs
p; No way. No freaking way. Mia stepped forward, her gaze glued to Alexander’s face. “Sacha’s a girl.” Mia said it slowly and clearly, and then looked at Hope for confirmation.

  Hope nodded.

  Niko shook his head. “No.”

  Alexander’s perfect lips twisted in offense, as if to ask how she could doubt his manliness. No one would doubt this guy was a guy. He was stunning, but not in a pretty way; he was stunning in a big, hot guy way.

  Hope mouthed, “My mistake,” and then turned to Niko with wide, questioning eyes.

  “Sacha’s short for Alexander. The family uses Sacha. Or you can call him Alexi, if you like,” Niko explained, sounding all reasonable and pleased. “He prefers Alexi.”

  Sacha. Alexander. Alexi? His name was Alexi! How could Hope make a mistake of this magnitude? Why hadn’t Sacha/Alexi told her? Couldn’t Alexi tell by her texts that she thought he was a girl? Why hadn’t he corrected her? Why? Mia’s mind raced over the texts she’d sent. Had she mentioned bras? Boys? Cramps? All…of…the…above. Ugh. We were friends. Sort of. He should have told me.

  Hope put a hand on Niko’s arm and raised her eyebrows.

  Mia scooted in closer to hear the rest of his explanation.

  “You wouldn’t move in without Mia.” Niko’s voice was low. “You wouldn’t have moved her if you knew Sacha was my brother.” After finishing his rationalization, Niko nodded and smiled. “It all worked out for the best.” He was clearly satisfied as he shared his reasoning for the unacceptable lie.

  Hope shoved a hand through her hair, frowning, looking at a complete loss.

  Mia tried to catch Hope’s gaze.

  Beep. Alexi checked his phone and stepped back into the foyer. “Please, excuse me.”

  Freak. Just read your email like any normal person in front of the rest of us. Leaving the room, like he needed privacy to check his messages, reeked of deception. That’s how Jake had acted before he’d dumped her. He is going to check his messages. He is going to get my message. A hot flush went up her neck and heated her cheeks. Mia hurried to stop him.

  Alexi stood in the foyer alone.

  She focused on his phone, trying to think of how to get it and delete her words. “Um…” Screw it. She reached for his phone.

  Alexi jerked the phone away fast and lifted it over his head. A crooked smile curled his lips. Take it if you can.

  He had to have known all along that she thought she was texting a girl, and now he used that phone to mock her?

  No way.

  The smugness made her lose it. He was tall. But his reach wasn’t too high for a cheerleader. She took three quick steps, braced her hands on his shoulders, and jumped.

  Chapter 6

  Alexi’s smirk died as Mia landed against him. He staggered back, stepped on a small piece of brown leather luggage, and fell. He grunted as her weight knocked him flat against the marble, the luggage scattering around them like broken hearts on a break-up card.

  “Everything okay?” Niko asked from the other room.

  Don’t come in here. “Just the bags.” She turned back to her task. Find the phone. Ah ha. Mia yanked the phone from Alexi’s hand and struggled for a solid grasp on the smooth metal.

  Success.

  His phone safely in her possession, she bowed her head for a moment in relief. Her forehead rested against his chest.

  Focus.

  The delivery must be stopped. Sitting up, Mia ignored the pain of her bare knees against the cold marble tile, ignored Alexi, and madly scrolled through his new emails. Found it. Mia hit delete, erasing all her messages from today and then looked down at him in triumph.

  He had her phone.

  Horror squashed her triumph.

  He was reading her emails.

  Unbelievable.

  His eyes glinted.

  I will destroy you. She reached out. A pull on her arm dragged her back and upward.

  “What are you doing?” Hope sounded flustered and agitated. Her cheeks were flushed and she was biting her lip.

  Mia didn’t answer. She swiped a strand of hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear.

  Alexi didn’t answer. He rose quickly and brushed at his slightly less pressed clothes.

  Hope looked between them.

  “Nothing,” Mia said. “We’re not doing anything.”

  Alexi shrugged, closed Mia’s phonecase, handed it to her and took his out of her unresisting grip. “It is nice to meet you in person, too.” Alexi looked at the door Niko had disappeared through. “What did Cook make for lunch? It’s lunchtime here, yes?”

  Hope guided him toward the buffet, her shoulders easing.

  Alexi hovered over the serving containers, poking items with the oversized silver spoon as he considered his choices and filled his plate high.

  Her own abandoned plate and souvenir seemed to belong to someone else. How had it all gone so wrong? Her new girlfriend was a guy. They were having so much fun texting. Maybe he was gay, and he could still be her friend, and they could laugh about this encounter. Alexi returned her steady gaze with a gleam and a quick glance down her body. Nope, he’s straight.

  Hope went back to her spot. “Mia’s going to help you settle in. We set up your room, but want you to feel at home, so make all the changes you want.” To Hope’s credit, very little doubt leaked into her voice.

  “I am sure it’s fine. Thank you.” Alexi was one of those confident guys who just seemed to know his way around, though Niko hadn’t lived here that long, so he probably hadn’t been here before. He sat beside her.

  She had made him welcome. His room. Peach and lavender bath pearls. Apple and jasmine shower gel. Noo. The poster board. A full-scale campaign to launch a foreign teenage girl into an American high school. The water bra. He’d read and known about the water bra. There was no way he could see the plan. Mia half rose. “May I be excused?”

  Alexi narrowed his deep blue eyes and kept them on her in a foreign gesture. He tilted his head. Slowly he put his fork and knife down.

  She couldn’t wait for Hope’s response. Mia darted out, hit the stairs and took them two at a time. There it was, the red, white, and blue sheet-covered mistake, sitting in the middle of the game room. She grabbed the poster.

  “Is that for me?” Alexi asked from the doorway. He swung a red apple in his hand, then raised it to his mouth and took a bite. The fruit crunched between his perfect white teeth.

  He even had nice teeth. Mia clutched the poster to her chest and backed farther into the recreation room. “Nope, it’s a school project,” she lied. Heat rose in her face like the Texas sun in August. She’d blushed more in the thirty minutes since meeting him than she had all year. The bottom of the sheet brushed against her legs. She needed to loosen her grip; she was giving away her desperation and smearing glitter glue on herself. Loosen, fingers. They didn’t. She gripped the paper so hard it was bending in her hands.

  Alexi took another bite. His gaze tracked her like she was a Bald Eagle and he was holding a rifle with a hankering for protected wildlife for lunch. “Let me see it.”

  “No.” She turned to escape.

  Alexi caught her in a few steps. He’d texted that he was a runner; he hadn’t said he was super-fast. He threw one arm around her waist and grabbed the poster with the other. The concealing sheet slid down, leaving the poster board, cold apple, and his hand against her waist. Her heart thudded.

  “You promised. Greek lessons for American lessons,” Alexi said. Promises sounded so different delivered in his warm, accented voice.

  This close, she could smell his cologne again. Man, he smelled nice. Was that aftershave? Shower gel? Cologne? All three? Holy hygiene trinity. She breathed in and slapped at his restraining arm, even though it actually felt nice and she’d prefer leaning back into him. Mia tugged on the poster board.

  He didn’t let go.

  “Look, I thought you were a girl.” Alexi might be nice to look at, but he needed direction. She stiffened her resolve,
bracing as if to shove someone to the top of a pyramid. “Here’s how this is going to work. You forget that message. You forgive the tackle. And I’ll forgive you for your gender confusion and for not being able to hold my weight without collapsing.”

  Alexi’s voice thinned. “I can lift you.” He eyed her from head to toe without letting go.

  Of course he could. She was a flyer, if a tall one. She got lifted every week. “Nope, I’m a cheerleader, I know a stable base when I feel one, and you have very little lifting experience.”

  The apple landed on the carpet with a muffled thud. Alexi bent and scooped her up, one arm behind her knees, the other her hips.

  Delight rushed through her. Mia laughed and clutched at his shoulders without letting go of the poster. “Drop me once, shame on you. Drop me twice, shame on me.”

  One of the maids, Ms. Joellen, the one with the dark auburn hair, came around the doorway carrying a piece of his luggage. The case was gray, like her uniform. Alexi quickly set Mia on her feet and composed his expression. Like Ms. Joellen would tell on them. He took a step away, but reached out and gripped the poster in one hand so she couldn’t escape with it. They were sharing custody.

  Mia pulled.

  Alexi yanked back.

  Hope entered behind two more gray-uniformed servants carrying more luggage and frowned; she clearly spotted the tug of war. Mia relinquished her hold and shoved the poster toward Alexi. She didn’t want Hope to pay any attention to the poster. It would be bad if Hope read it. If she saw Mia’s plans, even lenient Hope might develop some rules. Rules meant restraint. Think. Think. She needed a distraction. “How happy is Niko—now that Alexi’s here?”

  Looking back toward the hallway with a smile, Hope shook her head indulgently in the direction of the dining room. “So happy,” she said softly.

  Alexi’s blue-gray eyes held hers for a moment. He stepped forward and passed the poster back. He knew when to evade capture. Mia eased toward her room. One step, two steps later, and she cleared the doorway and shoved the poster under her bed. It was safe now; she’d minimized her humiliation.