“Oof.” Jace winces and slaps a hand over my shoulder. “Sorry, man.”
“Well, you’re going to do it, right? You said yes?” Chris asks expectantly.
“I haven’t given her an answer yet.”
Damon stops in his tracks. “Wait, what? Why the hell not?”
I shrug. “Because I don’t know what to fucking do?”
Chris snorts. “Uh, I think it’s pretty obvious.”
“It’s not, though,” I say with a shake of my head. “For one, her heart is hurting. She’s fresh from a breakup, and it’s most definitelynotthe time to tell her how I really feel. So, embarking on anything physicalwithouttelling her feels dishonest. Not to mention, if we sleep together, I’ll only fall harder.”
Damon sighs. “Look, I get it. But things have changed. The situation isn’t ever how you imagined it, so . . .” He shrugs, letting his words hang in the air.
I growl, raking a hand through my hair. “But this is my dream, and I don’t want to cheapen it.”
“Have you considered the fact that ifyoudon’t take her up on this deal, someone else will?” Jace asks.
My head jerks toward him, eyes narrowed, becauseno,it hadn’t fucking occurred to me. Until right now.
“Look,” Jace raises his hands in surrender. “I hate to say it, but if she’s feeling cheated and upset about her first time and wants to replace that memory with something better and greater, she’s probably going to do it with or without you. Now, or five months from now, either way, if she’s already gone there fresh after her breakup, that desire isn’t going to just disappear.”
My jaw clenches at the image of Tatum with someone else—some faceless guy showing her what she’s been missing—and my blood runs cold.
“Might as well be you,” Chris chimes in. “Better it be someone who loves her, and who will protect her.”
I stare at him, my mind racing and stomach tying in knots. The thought of Tatum seeking out someone else and letting another man touch her, kiss her the way I did—it’s fucking unbearable.
I glance at West, the voice of reason, and the most introspective of my friends, waiting for his take.
“He’s right,” West says quietly. “It’s bound to happen sooner or later, and if you truly care about her, wouldn’t you rather it be with you? Someone who actually gives a damn? Someone who would treat her right?”
The weight room seems to fade around me as I consider this.
Maybe they’re right.
Maybe, I?
“Just think about it,” Damon says, his voice low. “But whatever you decide, be honest with yourself about whatyoucan handle. This isn’t just about Tate and what she wants or how she feels. It’s gotta be about you, too.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, and also knowing I have another sleepless night ahead of me.
“But, bro, if you decide to go through with it.” He slaps an arm on my back. “Make it count.”
Yeah,” I breathe. “No pressure or anything.”
I stand outside Patty’s Grill, my hands shoved deep in my pockets while I watch Tatum through the window. The late-afternoon sun catches in her dark hair, giving it an almost blue-black sheen under the diner’s lights. She’s sitting at our usual booth, scrolling through her phone, completely unaware of my presence.
After two days of thinking about nothing but her proposition, I’ve made my decision. Now I just need the courage to walk through that door and tell her.
She looks up briefly, scanning the restaurant entrance before checking her watch and returning to her phone. Even this simple action—the way her brow furrows slightly, the way she tucks her hair behind her ear—sends a flood of warmth right through me.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation I need to have, but it does nothing for the erratic beating of my heart.
This is Tate, I tell myself. My best friend. The girl I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember.
And I’m about to agree to sleep with her?no strings attached?knowing full well I’m already tangled in more strings than I can count.
