“What happened?” Gina asks, her eyes bright with curiosity. “You two finally got together.”
“I don’t know,” I reply, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach. “We had a great time last night. At least, I thought it was great.”
Now I can’t help but wonder if I misread the signs. The way she arched her back, the soft moans escaping her lips, the way her fingers dug into my shoulders—was it all an act? Did she fake that flush across her chest, the trembling in her thighs? Maybe the intimacy that left me feeling like my world had finally clicked into place meant nothing more to her than a night to forget. Was every whispered “yes” just a figment of my imagination?
“She enjoyed it, too. I know she did.”
“You do?”
Gina smirks, confidence radiating from her. “I know all, remember? She even said you’re better than Asher. So why the cold shoulder?”
I lean against the wall, frustration bubbling inside me. “Was I just a rebound?”
“That’s not Harper’s style. You know that.”
“But everyone has to have one, right? After a significant breakup?”
Gina shakes her head and leans against the counter. “Not everyone. If that were true, Asher and Kenzie wouldn’t be getting married. You don’t marry the rebound.”
“Then what could it be?”
Maybe she thought she was over Asher, but seeing him last night—his jaw clenched, eyes glistening with unshed tears, fingers trembling around his drink—made her realize she still wants him. And it’s clear from the way he followed her movements across the room, how his voice softened whenever he said her name, the lingering touch on her elbow when they passed in the hallway, that he wants her back.
“Don’t go there.”
“How can I not, Gina?”
“Harper is over Asher. I know she is.”
“Then why am I being treated like a pariah?”
Thoughts swirl in my mind like debris caught in a tornado. My stomach knots as I picture her face twisted with regret, thinking she made a mistake. Maybe she felt my hands trembling against her skin and mistook eagerness for pressure. Perhaps she only wanted one sweaty, tangled night to forget Asher—a bandage over her still-bleeding wound—while I’ve been drafting our future in my head for years.
Or maybe when I whispered how beautiful she was, she heard only hollow words from another man who just wanted her body.Or worse, maybe when she closed her eyes and arched against me, behind those fluttering eyelids she was seeing Asher’s face instead of mine.
“Harper isn’t good with big changes or strong feelings. Given everything that’s happened recently, we can’t blame her. Just wait her out.”
“For how long, Gina? I’ve already waited twelve years.”
“So what’s a few more days?”
She’s right. I can endure a few more days. Hell, I could wait a few more years if it means being with her. It’s disheartening to feel this chill after what we shared.
“Hey, Ford,” Joel says, bumping my shoulder. “What happened last night?”
“I finally got my dream come true.”
He frowns. “Yeah, I usually look like someone just put down my dog when I think of a dream come true, too.”
“It was the best night of my life, and today has been the worst.”
Joel gives me a knowing look, but I shake my head. “Okay, second worst.”
“What happened?”
“Forget it.”
Harper may have confided in Gina about our night, but that’s different. Girls share things differently. I doubt she’d want me spilling to Joel how incredible she was.
