Tessa: Momma Claire’s? Hell yeah. I’ll bring the snacks.
Me: Halle. You in?
Seconds tick by with no reply. Worry starts to work its way into me, and a small knot tightens in my chest. What if she’s already made plans with Hunter? I mean, I wouldn’t blame her. She hasn’t seen her brother in months either. She has every right to hang out with him instead of me. But there’s a selfish part of me that needs her tonight. She’s become such a good friend. The way she listens withoutjudgment, the way she doesn’t try to fix you, just holds the pieces with you. I admire her strength, the way she keeps fighting for a better life.
Me: Pleaseeee, please, please.
Tessa: Come on Hals. We promise not to keep you too long from your broody man.
I chuckle at Tess’s reply. Halle and Asher have been practically glued together since he came back from his lapse in judgment. I love it for them. I do. But sometimes… That little green-eyed monster perches on my shoulder, making himself comfortable. It’s not their fault. They’re happy. They found their way back to each other. I guess I always pictured Hunter and me like that when he finally worked through his demons, choosing each other in the end. But instead, he left me in pieces, with the girls trying to help me move on.
My phone pings in the quiet room. I reach for it, hope filling my chest that Halle is coming. We’re going to eat too many snacks, drink too much wine, talk too loudly, and forget for a while. The screen lights up. I glance down, but it’s not Halle. My pulse skips, and I suddenly forget how to breathe. The phone slips from my fingers, landing in my lap as my hands tremble.
Shaking my hands out, I pick it back up, my thumb hovering over his name. The letters blur as I stare at the one line.
Hunter: Please Mads.
4
I FUCKED UP
HUNTER
“I know, I fucked up.” I groan, sliding into the booth and dragging a hand through my hair.
“Dude,” Connor starts, shaking his head as he drops into the seat across from me, “you didn’t just fuck up a little… You like, really, really fucked up.”
“What the hell were you thinking, staying gone and not contacting her?” Asher asks, setting down three glasses of water.
“I wasn’t thinking,” I mumble.
Connor lets out a harsh laugh. “Yeah, no fucking shit. You can take the gold medal in bad decision-making from this one.” He jabs a thumb toward Asher, who just grins back sheepishly.
“I get why you weren’t contacting Halle,” Asher says with a slight edge to his voice. “You needed space, time to find your closure. Hell, I even understand why you stayed radio silent with us. But not Madi?”
“You’re an idiot!” Connor snaps, cutting in before I can explain. “We all knew you two had a thing going on, that shewas waiting for you, holding out hope for something more serious.”
Wait, what?
Madison and I hadn’t told a soul. Not about the stolen kisses, our sneak-arounds, our late-night drives ending with her curled in my bed. We kept it locked down; it was always ours, no labels, never official. My face scrunches in confusion, my brows furrow. Connor catches on.Of course, he does. He throws his head back, laughing obnoxiously.
“Oh man…” He wheezes through it, gripping his side. “You’re an even bigger idiot than we thought.”
I stare at him, blankly. Waiting for his ass to calm down. Asher, not helping the situation, just sits back, hiding his wide smile behind the glass of water.
“Did you think we didn’t know? Didn’t see the moon eyes you gave each other? The secret touches, or her pretending to walk out of the bathroom at your house, when it was obvious she’d just snuck out of your bedroom.”
Heat rises up my neck. Every moment I thought was ours hadn’t been that discreet.Fuck.
“Hate to break it to you, man,” Asher cuts in with that half smirk of his, “but you two were never subtle.”
“Madi was the least subtle when some chick would try flirting with you at the bar,” Connor adds, leaning back.
A low whistle comes from Asher. “Those looks she gave? Shit, if looks could kill…”
Yeah. I remember. The way her eyes would narrow. The sharp bite in her voice when she would call out my name, her heated gaze flicking between me and the girl. I scoff. So much for secrets.
“So… back to me fucking up. You guys gonna help me win her back?” I ask, sinking low into the booth.
