Fuck.
I dragged my head up. “Please go, Emily,” I managed, my voice rough. “Before I…”
I didn’t finish the sentence, but the promise was there. I wanted her. All of her.
Panic flared in her eyes, sharp and bright. She stepped back, putting space between us, and her hand flew to her shirt, smoothing it down as if she was checking for armor.
The sudden absence of her warmth felt like a punch to the gut.
“Yeah.” Her voice came out breathy, unsteady. “You’re right. I should go.”
I saw it then. That flash of disappointment in her eyes. Like she wanted to stay but couldn’t let herself. Like there was something holding her back that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with whatever walls she’d just thrown up between us.
“Emily—”
“Goodnight, Cam.” She grabbed the door handle, pulling it open quickly. “Today was... it was really great. Thank you.”
Then she was gone, practically running across our yards to her own door.
I stood there in my entryway, feeling the quiet of my house pressing against me.
She’d wanted to stay. I’d seen it in her eyes, felt it in the way she’d kissed me back.
So why had she run?
EMILY
The corner booth at Jeb’s Diner felt like a holding cell. I shredded a napkin into confetti while my coffee went cold.
The lunch rush was in full swing. Burgers on the grill, coffee brewing, the clatter of dishes and voices. With its checkerboard floor, powder blue walls and dark blue leather booths, normally this place felt comforting. But not today.
My phone screen lit up. The group chat had exploded after my SOS text but I couldn’t bring myself to read them. It was enough to know they were coming.
The bell over the door jingled, not once, not twice, but in a steady stream. Suddenly, I was under siege. Mia slid in across from me, followed instantly by Hannah and Maya. Poppy squeezed in next to me, claiming the end. Annie, Samara, and Cassidy piled in wherever they could fit.
Brayden, the owner, appeared with a tray of mugs and a fresh pot of coffee, his floppy dark hair falling into his eyes as he set everything down. “You ladies need menus or are we doing the usual chaos order?”
Hannah studied me for a few seconds, then answered, “Chaos order. Bring us everything.”
“You got it.” He topped off my mug again, gave me a gentle smile, and disappeared.
“Okay.” Cassidy didn’t even wait for everyone to settle. She leaned forward with her lawyer face on. “We got the SOS. What’s the emergency?”
I opened my mouth, but the words stuck in my throat.
Hannah narrowed her eyes at me. “Wait. Did something happen with Hot Neighbor?”
My face went hot.
“IT DID!” Samara practically shrieked. “Look at her face!”
“Emily!” Poppy’s eyes were huge. “Tell us everything!”
“I...” I dragged in a shaky breath. “We kissed.”
The table exploded.
“WHAT?”
