Running my hands under the faucet, my hips greeted the countertop, another grounding cord to the high I was still riding. Water pooled in my palms, and I bent forward, splashing it over my heated face.
God, Oren really had destroyed me.
“Fucking hell.” My groan came muffled as I breathed against my own skin, taking my time to massage my eyes. “And we have a fucking party. Apartyafter that shit?”
I was losing my mind. I had to be.
“Talking to yourself in the bathroom is a new low, Thorne, even for you,” I mumbled to myself, ripping the hand towel from the holder on the wall.
Drying my face with it, I tossed it haphazardly on the counter, something I knew Oren would undoubtedly scold me for later. Especially considering it wasn’tourbathroom I’d slipped into, but the guest one positioned just off the hall upstairs. Dropping the heel of my palm, I shut off the water. With a deep inhale, I flattened my palms against the granite, leveling my gaze on my reflection.
My honeyed eyes greeted me, but a profound exhaustion clung to my gaze. It was the sleepless nights catching up to me, the nightmares becoming nearly too much for me to handle, and the continued ‘what-ifs’ of my flawed and failed friendship. Part of me couldn’t help but wonder where I’d gone wrong, what I’d done to urge Matt to turn his back on me so willingly. And the other part of me? It struggled to accept that I’d never find out.
“God, why do you even care?” Running my fingers through my grown hair, I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Not anymore. You’ve moved on, and so has he. Let it go.”
I really had lost it, hadn’t I?
Shoving myself away from the kitchen sink, I pivoted on my heel. Frigid steel welcomed me, my fingers curling around the doorknob. Tugging the bathroom door open, the voices of those who Oren had invited over immediately enveloped my senses—Simon and Liam.
“Shit, Oren, no wonder we haven’t seen you in forever. You’ve got plenty of space, two dogs, and a fucking backyard perfect for hosting.”
“Andwehaven’t seen both of you in forever, either. Last I heard, you were too busy moping before confessing your?—”
Simon scoffed, cutting him off. “We don’t need to dwell on thepast.”
“I think it’s perfectly fine to dwell on the past,” Liam added. “Seeing asyouwere the one to state your feelings first.”
“Well, you liked me first,” Simon corrected. “I was merely making sure it was reciprocated in a timely manner.”
Oren’s laughter rang down the hallway. “At least you finally confessed. We all knew you liked Liam, Simon.”
Trotting down the stairs, I prayed the railing would serve as enough of a distraction from my thoughts. “I love that the two of you are arguing about the schematics of your relationship.”
“Thorne!” Simon grinned, giving me a thumbs-up. Despite the injury I’d caused, he was as lively as ever, never a dull moment dampening his smile. “Arguing is the basis of a relationship.”
“Playfularguing,” Liam corrected with the shake of his head, his dirty-blonde locks tumbling forward.
He’d grown out his hair, adding to the casual attire he wore—a simple blue button-down shirt and jeans. It was the perfect contrast to Simon’s lavish attire; it looked like he’d stolen his entire outfit from Oren’s closet.
“The base of a relationship?” I asked, stopping to lean against the post at the bottom of the stairs. “Last I checked, the foundation of any relationship should be based on a concept calledcommunication.Though we all know how good you are at that.”
He laughed, the sound flooding through the house. “You’re right. Communication might not be mybeststrength, but the sex?—”
Liam cleared his throat. “Food. Where… Where is the food?”
Oren jerked his thumb into the kitchen, biting his lip to keep from smiling. “It’s on the counter in the kitchen. Stuffed mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, sliders, and a bunch of sides. I was also going to make a cake, but I, uh, ran out of time.”
Running my tongue over my teeth, I reached over, pinching Oren’s side. “Yeah, he got a littledistracted.”
His gaze snapped to mine, and if not for company, he would’ve laid into me with the thoughts he kept hidden. “Right,distracted.”
My lips curled into a smirk as I raised a challenging brow in his direction before turning on my heel to follow our guests. “Can I get either of you a beer?”
“Sure,” Simon said as he headed into the kitchen.
Liam was already there, piling a plate with food. “No beer for me. Quit drinking once I started dating him becausesomeonehas to watch him.”
“Oh, I’m not that bad. I just have a low tolerance.”
