“Blair,” Cherry whispered beside me, her voice meant only for me. I had forgotten she was even there. “You don’t have to.” I turned to her, seeing the sympathy in her eyes. She understood. Probably better than anyone.
I could walk away. I could leave the party. I could go to the bar with Cherry. Maybe even let a stranger kiss me on a crowded dance floor. I could leave Austin in the past, where he’d lived for the last two years. And nothing would change. I would wake up tomorrow without answers. Without resolution. Exactly the way I’d always assumed my life would go. But the longer I sat with that thought, the more I knew that wasn’t what I wanted.
“It’s okay,” I whispered back to her, watching as she tried to read me with her eyes. I knew she wouldn’t be able to, so I gave her a small nod, like I was helping her out.
“Okay,” she mouthed back, stepping away. I watched her glance toward Holden, raising her eyebrows as their eyes met.
I turned back to Austin. He looked like he was holding his breath, waiting. “Okay,” I told him.
He released a subtle breath through his nose, and the smile that followed was so immediate it startled me. It was contagious, too. I felt my own lips twitch upward before I could stop them.
“Yeah?” There was excitement in his voice, and I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t as apprehensive as I was.
“Yeah,” I nodded again. He smiled instantly, like that was exactly what he’d been hoping for. “I, um—” I glanced at Cherry, suddenly aware that I was about to abandon her at a party where she knew even fewer people than I did.
“We’re fine,” she said, jerking her head toward Holden. “Go.” Austin must have taken that as confirmation, because he stepped closer. I held my breath until he was beside me, like my body forgot it needed oxygen.
He lifted one hand, letting it hover in the space between us for a second before pulling it back and shoving it into his pocket. I didn’t need an explanation. He felt it too, the magnets under our skin. He’d almost placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me the way he used to. The way he always had, but he stopped himself. And that, I realized, was for the best, because now, Austin and I really were strangers. The kind of strangers who once kissed under the stars and shared our deepest secrets. And honestly, I thought that was the worst kind of strangers possible.
He looked down at me, and I could tell by his eyes that he’d had the same realization. “Will you follow me?” he asked. “It’s a bit loud in here.”
I knew Austin wouldn’t protest if I said no. But I didn’t need to say no, because even if we were strangers now, I had never lost trust in him. When I nodded, he started walking. Not far ahead of me—he stayed almost right beside me. Just enough to lead the way. I barely wondered where we were going as he opened Seren and Zane’s front door. The noise of the party fell away as it closed behind us, leaving a sudden, noticeable silence. He didn’t speak. He let the silence exist as he kept walking. I still didn’tquestion where we were headed, though I was surprised when Austin led me down the expensive hallway and stopped at the very end. I glanced around as he pulled out a key and opened an unassuming door in front of us.
“This is, uh… my place,” he said, pushing the door open. The irony hit me all at once.
“You live here?” I asked, following him into the well-decorated apartment. I barely took it in as he led me toward the living room.
“Yeah,” Austin said. He didn’t look anywhere but my face. He sat down on the brown leather sofa, opening his arms in an unspoken invitation.Sit.
“You really live here?” I asked again, still stunned, lowering myself into the chair across from him. A quiet laugh slipped from my mouth as he nodded.
“What’s funny?” he asked, a slight frown pulling at his lips. I shook my head, the laughter still soft in my chest.
“I live fifteen minutes from here,” I told him. Austin tilted his head, like he was struggling to comprehend what I had just said. “Fifteen minutes apart…” I started, but he finished my words for me.
“But worlds away,” he said quietly, his eyes moving over my face again. I nodded, letting my laughter fade into silence. And we looked at each other, again. Wordlessly, the weight of the moment speaking for both of us.
“Do you go to school here?” I asked, already bracing myself for the answer. It felt like nothing could surprise me at this point, though knowing Austin and I had attended the same schoolfor the last two years might have tipped me into something irreversible.
“No,” Austin shook his head. “I don’t go to school here.” It wasn’t the answer I expected. Still, I felt unsteady. “Seren was here, and…” he hesitated. “I thought it would be better to start somewhere new.” I nodded, listening without fully absorbing his words. “So I started working. Levi and I put some money together to start a company. It’s still small, he’s busy in Florida, so I do most of the work. I guess I have a decent mind for business.”
I nodded again. “Did you know?” I asked suddenly, unable to let the thought go.
“Did I know?” he echoed, though I was certain he understood.
“That I went to school here. That we were so close.”
Austin sighed, letting the silence stretch long enough to hurt before he shook his head. “Of course I didn’t know, Blair. I don’t think I would’ve been able to function if I had.” Relief flickered, briefly. “But…” he continued, and I waited. “Levi told me Cherry went here. He didn’t mention you. I think he knew it was… complicated.”
“Complicated?” I repeated, lifting my brows. I was searching for answers without asking the question directly. Austin exhaled, tilting his head as he studied me. I recognized the look instantly. He was deciding how much of the truth I was allowed to have, and I hoped he’d give me all of it. Even if I understood why he might not.
“I did what I told you I was going to do, Blair,” he said. “I told you I was going to climb my own mountains—and I did. I climbed those fucking mountains. But it was harder than I thought. So much harder than I ever thought it would be.”He swallowed, his jaw tightening. “That hike up the mountain turned into an expedition. And every time I thought I was finished, there was another mountain waiting at my feet.”
A frown pulled at my lips as I listened, feeling the truth of his words settle deep in my chest. I could hear it all in his voice—his struggle, his pain, his exhaustion.
“But there was always one constant, Blair,” he continued, “I thought of you with every single step I climbed.”
I could feel the confusion on my face as Austin finished his sentence. Of course, his words had made my heart lift, and my stomach drop, but mostly, I was confused. Austin knew it too. I could tell by the way he was reading me again, his eyes scanning my face like he was trying to translate something I hadn’t said out loud. He didn’t speak, though. Which was rare for him. Or at least, rare for the Austin I used to know.
