Leaning back on the wall, he raised his gaze to the sky, trying to focus on the foggy cloud his breath formed as it left his mouth. The noise in the street matched the one inside him as his heart struggled to beat normally.
Noah knew he was overreacting, and that this shouldn’t affect him so much. That seeing an ex shouldn’t be that big of a deal, but it was. Kaj hadn’t been just a silly teenage crush. He hadbeen hiseverything. And it hurt. Even if it was normal and he had the right to be with someone else, it fucking hurt, because Noah hadn’t broken up with him out of spite. He had ended their relationship because Kaj had lied and cheated on him. But he’d still loved him when he did it. It was one of the most painful decisions he’d ever made.
Fighting tears that could be the product of a hurt ego or an agonizing love, Noah clenched his jaw and bent forward, propping his hands right above his knees. His ponytail slid over his shoulder as he lowered his head.Why do you even care about that? It’s been two years.
“Hey... you okay?”
He dragged his gaze up to see Mads standing beside him. He looked... worried?What the fuck?Taking a deep breath, Noah straightened. “Yeah. All good.”
Mads scrutinized his face for a second and said, “Can we talk?”
“About what?”
“This is probably weird... Well, itisweird.” He sighed. “I just didn’t—”
“Ishethe reason you’ve been blowing hot and cold since we met, or did I truly offend you somehow?” Noah crossed his arms.
Mads’s stance hardened a little as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his knee-length coat. “I know everything that happened between you two.”
“And that is...?”
“You dated for over a year and were each other’s firsts for many things.”
Noah sneered. “Did he tell you how he also cheated?” His pulse raced in his veins.
Mads frowned. “That has nothing to do with me.”
“Yeah, right.” Noah looked to the side and mumbled, “Like he won’t do it again...”
“Look, I’ve known Kaj for two years,” Mads restarted. “At the beginning, all he talked about was life in his hometown, you, and the guys. Even when we were talking about something else, he would always sneak an anecdote aboutyouin the conversation. When I met you all for the first time, I knew exactly who you all were just by hearing your names. So, yes, I’d say he’s the reason we—why I never allowed you to get too close.” He let out another sigh. “I could have handled things better because I actually like you.” Noah arched an eyebrow at him before he continued. “I do! You’re kind and talented, but the simple thought of befriending my boyfriend’s ex, I…” He paused for a second, as if he were trying really hard to choose his next words, or maybe he was just giving Noah time to process what he was telling him. “I didn’t want to betray him.”
Noah snorted.His fucking boyfriend. A pang struck deep in his chest. “Whatever.”
“Tell me that if you had known who I was, you’d still have asked me to participate in your project.”
“Who cares about that anymore? You said no.”
“I just wanted to do the right thing.”
“You felt threatened,” Noah deadpanned.
“Partly, not gonna deny it. But that’s not all there is.”
“What else, Mads?”
Before any of them could say anything else, the door opened again, and Kaj walked out.
“We should go home,” he said flatly without acknowledging Noah’s presence.
“Okay.” Mads glanced at Noah, eyes filled with what looked like pity. “Good night.”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me,” Noah said as he pulled the turtleneck shirt over his head.
Val, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, began tracing his finger over the wrinkles of his sheets to avoid his gaze. “I don’t think he was lying or trying to get along with us, honestly. He doesn’t have a reason for that anymore.”
“He seemed truly sorry for not calling or texting after you split up,” Theo added. “But it kinda makes sense now that we know the truth…”
“The truth about what?” Noah asked, kicking his pants off and leaving them on the floor as he sat on his bed facing his friends.
