Right then, Holden bounded into the room, running straight into Silas’s back. Silas stumbled forward, right into Christy’s open arms.
The room was pin-drop silent. Anna squeezed my knee. I couldn’t take a full breath. Why was he still letting her hug him? His hands were stiff at his side—but why hadn’t he stepped away?
Oblivious, Holden pounded Silas on the back. “Oh, sorry, dude. Not looking where I’m going.” He took a step back when he realized who was hugging Silas. “Christy?”
“Hi.” She beamed and offered them both a little wave. She was the only person in the room smiling.
Silas finally spoke. “Uh…what’re you doing here?” But then he just stood there, dumbly, like he didn’t know what to do, his eyes shifting between me and her.
Christy cocked her head, her eyes following Silas’s gaze each time it fearfully ping-ponged to me. Jealousy flashed across her face. She shot me a glare right before she went up on her tiptoes and pecked him on his lips. The same lips I’d beenkissing yesterday. My breath hitched, and a gasp came out that I wished no one had heard.
Anna squeezed my hand tighter. “Oh, no she didn’t,” she growled.
“What’re you doing?” Silas stepped back this time.
The discomfort in the room was thick. I wanted to crawl out of my skin and run as fast as I could away from here. My stomachache had heightened, and I curled in on myself as another cramp hit.
Christy put a hand on her hip. “I’m here to surprise you, silly. I know our conversation the other night was…less than ideal. But I wanted to make it up to you.”
Um. What? The other night?
Silas’s nostrils flared. “Less than ideal? You cussed me out and told me you were never talking to me again.”
I put one hand to my mouth, and the other lifted in a stop motion. “Hold up. I thought you two broke up a long time ago.” Was I a rebound?
Christy scowled like I smelled bad and rolled her eyes. “No. We definitely did not.”
“Yeah, we did.” Silas appeared dumbfounded. I knew I was. Was he acting?
I stood up, every eye in the room volleying. “Wait. So you didn’t break up?”
Silas tilted his head, silently pleading. “Yes,we did.”
Christy’s body went tense and her voice a little shrill. “No. We were on a pause. We were taking the summer off. That’s all.”
Silas opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “Okay. Enough. When did this pause happen?” I needed exact dates. Had he been playing me or her? Or both of us?
“Clem.” Silas took a step toward me.
Christy yanked him back by the hem of his shirt. “What has she got to do with anything? This is between me and you.”
Anna shot up. “No.” She pointed between me, herself, and Silas. “We’re Team Trifecta. You’re just Christy. You are not part of this.” Her voice cracked, which could only mean one thing. Tears were coming. I put an arm around her, pulling her against my chest.
“Team Trifecta?” Christy said like she’d eaten something bitter. Then she aimed herself at darling Anna. “Silas and I are engaged. So I’m definitely on the same team as him, whatever any of that means.”
My mouth fell open.
Silas’s face crumpled.
It felt like I’d coughed up my heart. “You’re engaged?”
I may as well have been standing in a cave because my words immediately echoed around the room.
“Engaged?”
“You’re engaged?”
“Nobody said anything about y’all getting married?”
