“I was afraid,” she continued. Ivy only watched, though her gaze was no longer narrowed into something sharp. No, her features had relaxed, her eyes growing wide as she took in every word that Sammie said. “I was so afraid that I was going to lose you over something that I should have just talked to you about. If I’d just faced your feelings head on in the beginning, if I’d justbeenhonestabout all of it, about my own feelings for him and the things I was afraid of, it never would have gone bad like this.” Sammie cut off, sucking in one last breath to steady herself. Gentle tears pricked her eyes and slipped past her lashes.
“I’m sorry, Ivy. You didn’t deserve to be shut out, and I wish I could go back and change it.”
Silence stretched between them. Sammie wiped her wet cheeks with a hand, every second that passed adding to the weight on her shoulders. Ivy didn’t have to forgive her, Sammie knew that. She’d been a shitty friend, and there would be consequences for that. Their relationship might never be the same, and Sammie couldn’t—
“Thank you.”
Two words from Ivy, said with a soft smile, and Sammie gave up on holding back her tears. She sniffled as Ivy grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter, passing it over.
“Thank you,” Ivy repeated. “For all of that.” Her words were thick with emotion to match Sammie’s. “I’ve been scared for weeks, ever since you started pushing me away. So scared that I fucked up another friendship, that my feelings were so big they were going to push away one more person that I cared about.”
“This wasn’t your fault,” Sammie interjected, but Ivy waved her comments off.
“No, but that doesn’t change the fact that you felt like you’d been backed into a corner. But Sammie, it was never like that. I crush on every attractive woman that I cross paths with. And I never said anything about feeling any sort of way toward you because it didn’t matter.Youmatter to me, full stop. And if something was going to happen between us, it would have happened a long time ago. I know you, Sammie! You’re just like your brother. The two of you carry a torch better than anyone I’ve ever known. It was never going to be me, Sammie, and I’m okay with that.”
Ivy stopped, pulling in a shaky breath as she looked down at the black and white tiled floor. Sammie fought against the urge to wring her hands together, to start picking at one of her nails. But then Ivy looked up at her with the sweetest smile, and Sammie knew, somewhere deep in her chest, that they were going to be okay.
“Your friendship means so much more to me than anywhat ifscenarios,” Ivy said. “I would never give that up just because you didn’t return my feelings. You’re worth more to me than that. Even if you’re impulsive, and anxious, and you jump to conclusions, and you run away at the first sign of tr—”
Sammie surged forward, yanking Ivy into a hug. Their height difference had Ivy’s face pressed straight into Sammie’s chest, but she didn’t care. As Ivy’s arms snaked around her waist, as her friend hugged her back, Sammie felt as though she’d come home.
Because that’s what home was, right? Not a house that was falling apart at the seams. Not a farm that had been in the family for generations. Not a colorful apartment. Home was an idea. It was the people that made the hard parts of life feel just a little more manageable. It was the friends that didn’t just hold out a hand to help, but that caught her before she could fall beyond reach. It was the memories and the laughter and the tears that painted a picture more vivid than any on the walls around her.
“I’m sorry.” Sammie breathed the words into the top of Ivy’s head, stray hairs tickling her nose.
“Don’t get snot in my hair!” Ivy pushed back from the hug, and Sammie let her go. It wasn’t hard, letting Ivy slip from her grasp, not when she knew that it wouldn’t be forever. Ivy swiped at her own tears. “Now, what’s the surprise?”
Sammie let out a thick laugh, snatching another tissue. She swung the backpack off her shoulders. “Promise you won’t screech like a banshee.”
“I’m not promising that.”
“And that you won’t tellanyone.”
“I can maybe promise that.”
Sammie left the kitchen, Ivy at her heels, and had the console hooked up in record time. She handed Ivy the controller as they both sank onto the couch.
“So this is what the snacks were for,” Ivy said, practically vibrating as she pulled her legs up onto the couch, tucking into the corner, a pillow in her lap to rest her arms on, the perfect picture of a gamer.
“I figured that if you forgave me it might end up being a long night.”
Ivy hummed, curiosity softening her features as the loading screen faded away. It was replaced by the main menu, which showed the last game Kai had been playing.DragonRaid IV, the upcoming installment in one of Ivy’s favorite series, by her favorite developer.
Ivy let out a screech that even a banshee would be impressed by.
“Why is your family askingmeto pass along information to you?”
Kieran sighed, his fingers tightening around his cellphone. Kenna sure did have a way of jumping right to the point.
“We aren’t exactly speaking right now,” he finally replied, pinching the phone between his shoulder and his cheek as he folded a t-shirt just so. Laundry was a chore that usually helped to settle his mind. Monotonous, repetitive tasks always calmed him.
“Why?”
No flattery, no subtlety.
“It’s a long story.”
“Surely it’s not.”
