Her smile is relieved. It makes my chest ache. I hate knowing that someone ignored her boundaries. If anyone ever tries to do that to her again, I’ll knock them the fuck out.
“One more thing,” Poppy says. “I know we said we’re going to keep the fact that this is fake between us, but we’re going to have to tell your sister the truth. She’s my best friend and your twin. She’ll know right away this is fake.”
I rub the back of my neck and exhale sharply. “Yeah, you’re right. Do you wanna tell her or should I?”
“I’ll tell her tomorrow.”
We stand up and walk out of the diner. It’s early evening, so it’s just starting to get dark.
“How far is your apartment?” I ask.
She points ahead. “Just a mile that way.”
“I’ll drive you.”
She tilts her head at me. “Nick, it’s only a mile.”
“You’re my girlfriend now. I’m not letting my girlfriend walk a mile in the dark. I’m going to drive her and drop her off at the door of her apartment.”
She fights a smile and rolls her eyes. “Fine.”
Chapter 8
Poppy
Ifollow Nick to his car, which is parked in front of the diner.
He opens the passenger door of his sleek-looking sporty car, and I climb in.
“This is really nice,” I say as he pulls out of the parking lot and heads toward my apartment.
“Thanks. It was a gift from my brother, Ryker.”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot that he bought Anna’s car too, right?”
“Yeah. He bought both of us cars when we graduated high school.”
I’ve met Ryker a bunch of times since Anna and I have been friends. He’s a lot older than Anna and Nick—he was a teenager when they were born. By the time Anna and I became close in middle school, Ryker lived on his own.
The times I’ve been around him, he’s always been quiet and serious, but it’s clear just how much he cares about his younger siblings. Any time Nick or Anna needs something, and he’s around, he drops everything to help them.
One time last school year, he picked up Anna from a house party when she drank too much, and a few of her other friendsditched her. He even let her stay the night at his place so she wouldn’t get in trouble at her dorm or with her parents.
“Does Ryker still play pro hockey for the Denver Bashers?”
Nick nods, smiling. “Yeah. He helped them win a Stanley Cup last season. We were there for the winning game. It was awesome.”
“Oh, that’s right. Anna told me about that. She showed me pictures of you guys posing with the trophy. You looked so excited.”
“I was pumped for Ryker. He’s been wanting to play in a Stanley Cup final his whole career. And he finally did it.”
“What an accomplishment, to achieve a goal like that.”
Nick eases to a stop at a red light. I glance over at him. “I’m guessing that’s your dream too, right?”
He tugs a hand through his hair and smiles down at his lap. “More like a far-off fantasy. My dream is just getting into the NHL.” His smile falters, and he clears his throat. “We’ll see if that ever happens.”
“What do you mean? You’re the best player on Hollis’s men’s hockey team. I remember back in high school when all those colleges were tripping over themselves to recruit you.”
