“Yeah, I’m the worst at staying in touch.”
“Don’t make her feel bad, T.” Travis put his arm around me.
“As someone who also refuses to show my face online, I appreciate the mystery. I just happened to never leave town, and everyone knows everything about me,” Tessa said.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just happy to see you. Ah! We need to grab dinner. Tonight. Tomorrow. When?”
“You have zero fucking chill,” Travis scoffed, rolling his eyes and squeezing me.
“But for real. Wanna grab food tonight at the pizzeria?”
“Are we talking about pizza?”
My stomach tightened at that voice. Matt Heathen. Travis held out his fist for a bump, which Matt returned, but his eyes were on me.
“Laney, are you still obsessed with pineapple on pizza?”
I scrunched my nose. “I feel like your tone is suggesting that there is a right or wrong answer here.”
“There is.” He grinned and smoothed his shirt. He wore dark-framed glasses, a black plaid shirt, and khakis. He looked adorable. We hadn’t set up our drinks to catch up yet, but a group gathering made more sense. “It’s an abomination.”
“Disagree. It’s perfection.”
“Aw, you two are bickering like it’s 2008 again. I love it. I need a photo of the four of us!” Tessa handed her phone to one of the students lingering in the hallway, and before we had a moment to protest, I was wedged between Travis and Matt with Tessa on Matt’s right.
“Our class will love this.” Tessa grinned but snapped her gaze down the hall. “If my seniors are acting up right now, I will lose my mind. Excuse me.” She took off where three senior boys were laughing hard. Travis followed, his familiar voice causing the boys to sober up fast.
“I gotta say, it is nice seeing you here back at school.” Matt’s cheeks turned pink. “So many memories here, you know?”
We both stared at the lockers a few feet away. Mine was there, and we spent a lot of time kissing in front of that locker. My skin heated as my stomach twisted with guilt.
“I do know,” I said, unsure if I could look at him. “I should—”
“Laney, hey.” He took my hand and immediately dropped it. I faced him, conflicted and unsure what to do.
I had loved him years ago. I cared for him. I wanted him happy, but this in-between with Connor put me in a very weird headspace.
“What is it?”
“The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. I realize I did when I mentioned the memories. Please know that I am not hitting on you. Unless you want me to? Then please, tell me, because I would. But I’m not. I want to hear about your life. That’s all, okay?”
Damn. Matt was so freaking sweet, even now. My eyes watered at the gentle genuineness to him. He had always been that way, so in tune with others’ feelings. He’d overcommunicate to the point that it was almost annoying. Now? It was so appreciated.
“Thank you. That was… I needed that.”
“I had a feeling.” He grinned and held out his arms.
“Friends, yeah?”
I hugged him back, relief flooding through me. “Definitely friends.”
“Cool.” He patted my back and released me. “I gotta wrangle my freshmen into submission. These kids, dude, I swear. The pandemic made them wild animals.”
“Charm them with your dad jokes.”
“I am in my dad-joke era.”
“You kinda always were in that era, Matt.”
