I bit my cheek. “Yeah . . . no.”
Her chewing slowed. “I thought?—”
“You thought I was in the city for work all those weekends, didn’t you?”
She blinked. “You weren’t?”
I gave her a crooked smile. “Technically, I was working... but I was also at Dirks’s games. And his place. And the rink. And in his bed. Repeatedly.”
Nova’s eyes widened. “Oh my god. You’ve been seeing him this whole time? I thought it was casual. Flirty texts, maybe some slow-burn shit. I know we moved back here so you could explore it, but I thought it was still in the ‘exploration phase.’ ”
“It started that way,” I admitted. “It got serious fast. It was easy.He’seasy. He showed up—and it stuck.”
Nova stared at me, mouth slightly open, then looked down at her plate. Her fingers went slack, and her half-eaten grilled cheese dropped onto the plate with a soft plop.
“Jesus,” she muttered. “I’ve been such a terrible friend.”
I shook my head. “Don’t?—”
“No, Luna. I haven’t even asked you what’s going on in your life. I didn’t know you were falling for him. I let myself believe you were doing your thing in the city, bouncing around like always, because I was so wrapped up in... everything else.”
“You’ve had a lot on your plate,” I said gently. “You don’t have to keep apologizing for trying to get your head above water.”
“I still should’ve checked in.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “You’re noticing now. That’s what matters.”
Nova sniffed. “Okay. Okay. So... are you like,in itwith Dirks?”
I gave a quick nod. “I really think I am.”
“Has Dirks asked about Jeremy?”
My stomach twisted. “We agreed to date each other first before we had that conversation, before I was ready to reach out.”
“Do you want to reach out?”
I shook my head. “No. Not since the breakup. It felt cleaner that way. Like if I didn’t say his name, I wouldn’t miss him. But I do. Some days more than others. And not just him. I miss... what we were. What the three of us had.”
Nova nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. “Do you think he’d come back?”
“I don’t know, but part of me wonders if maybe... I want him to. Especially seeing Austin sober. I have to wonder if Jeremy’s in the same place.”
There was a beat of silence.
Nova leaned back in her chair. “If you do... you know this is your house. too. Right? You don’t need my permission.”
I smiled softly. “I know.”
“But,” she added, pointing at me with her pinky, “if he shows up looking all angsty and fine, I’m hiding my wine.”
I laughed. “That’s fair.”
“So . . . when’s Dirks coming by?”
I let out a soft laugh, pushing my hair over my shoulder. “I think I’ll just invite him to the guesthouse tonight. I’m not ready for him to see you guys yet. Or”—I shrugged—“be seen. It still feels kind of... mine.”
Nova tilted her head, then shook it. “No. You know what? Invite him to Christmas dinner.”
