On screen, Syn’s face cycled through approximately fifteen different expressions: shock, confusion, disbelief, more shock, something that might have been excitement.
“I’m sorry.” She held up a hand. “I think I just hallucinated. Can you repeat that?”
“Owen and I are dating. We’re together like in a relationship. Boyfriend and girlfriend. However, you want to phrase it.”
“Owen.” She blinked rapidly. “Owen Owen. My brother’s best friend, Owen. The Owen who’s been your childhood crush for as long as I’ve known you, Owen.”
“That’s the one.”
“The Owen who dated Cam and then...” She stopped herself, but the damage was already done.
The Owen who dated Cam and then cheated on her.
With me.
Guilt wrapped around my chest and squeezed until I couldn’t breathe.
“Yeah,” I said quietly. “That Owen.”
Syn was still staring, her mouth slightly open. Slowly, a grin spread across her face.
“Oh my God.” She actually bounced, her phone shaking with the movement. “Are you serious? This isn’t a joke? You’re not messing with me right now?”
“Not a joke. Please stop bouncing, you’re making me motion sick.”
“This is… I mean…wow.” She ran a hand through her hair, dislodging what remained of her bun. “I have so many questions. How did this happen? When did this happen? Wait, is that why you’re staying at his apartment? Is the spare room thing bullshit? Are you sleeping in his bed?” Her eyes went wide. “You’re sleeping in his bed, aren’t you?”
“Syn…”
“Iknewsomething was different. I knew it. You had that look on your face, that sparkly thing happening with your eyes. I thought maybe you had finally discovered caffeine or gotten really into skincare, but no…it’s sex.” She gasped. “It’sOwensex. Oh my god, did he take your…”
“Can you breathe, please? I need you to survive this conversation.”
She pressed a hand to her chest, taking a dramatic breath. “Okay. Okay. I’m calm.” Her eyes were practically vibrating with barely contained excitement. “But seriously, Har. How? When? I need details.”
“It’s kind of... recent,” I admitted. “Like, very recent. We’re still figuring things out.”
“Does Jax know?”
“Not yet. We’re planning to tell him. We just wanted to make sure it was real first. Before we dealt with all the...” I gestured vaguely at the air. “...drama.”
“The drama.” Syn’s expression sobered. “You mean because of Cam?”
“More because of Jax. I honestly don’t think Cam could care less. She’s with her person now.” I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “But yeah. There’s... history. Complications.”
“Owen has a track record, Har. He’s kind of a fuck boy. I don’t want to see you get hurt. He cheated on Cam. That’s not...” She trailed off, clearly struggling. “That’snotnothing.”
“Jax was a fuck boy too,” I said, deflecting. “Before Kaia.”
“That’s different.”
“Is it though?”
Syn studied me, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, a smile crept back onto her face.
“Okay,” she said. “Then I’m happy for you. I’m really,reallyhappy for you, Har. You’ve wanted this for so long.”
Relief washed over me. “Thank you for not making this weird.”
