Tell me more.
Yulian crashed a gallery opening I attended with my parents in NYC just because I’m taking a weekend off, then demanded I say I have feelings for him, and when I pointed out this situationship is temporary, he got mad and left. Now, he won’t answer my calls or texts.
Yikes. Looks like he’s not a puppy now.
Gaz…
What? You’re the one who said he follows you around like a puppy. You took that for granted, my man.
What do you mean?
It’s obvious he’s always liked you more. He chased more, let you get away with more, probably waiting for you to catch up, and when you didn’t, well, maybe he got fed up.
He can’t be fed up.
Totes can.
So what now? It’s over?
I don’t know. Do you want it to be over?
Of course not.
Then you have to compromise. He probably wants you to be all in.
How do you know that?
I’m smart. Besides, it’s kind of obvious. You always seemed to have a foot out the door, ready to bolt if things got too complicated.
It’s not that. I just don’t want to put either of us at adisadvantage or in danger.
Well, that ship has sailed. If you feel you’re at a disadvantage or in danger, walk away.
I can’t just walk away.
Aw, is our baby Vaughn in love?
I’m not in love.
Bro, you’ve been fixated on this guy for months. You bought a beach house just for privacy, fly out every weekend to see him, even picked up riding motorcycles—something so not you—just for the thrill of being with him. Not to mention that most of your conversations center around him. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. But hey, take your time. Took me forever to admit the heart palpitations I get around Kayden aren’t about wanting to strangle him—they’re about loving him, too much for my own good.
I’m staring at Gareth’s texts when a knock sounds on the door.
“Come in,” I say, pocketing my phone.
Lidya’s shock of purple hair slips past the doorframe before she barges in. She’s smaller than me but built with muscles that make her presence impossible to ignore. Vest, pressed pants, restless energy. She’s always been like this—fun, reckless, a proud tomboy to the core.
She’s entirely different than me. Ever since we were kids, I’d be reading quietly while she’d be testing gravity. She definitely loves sparring and boxing more than I do.
“V, you have to run away!” She lunges at me, grabs my hand, and starts pulling me toward the door. “I’ll smuggle you out. Trust me, I have a plan.”
“Why do I need to run, Li?”
“I’ll explain later. We have to go now. Chop-chop.”
The door she left ajar opens, and she comes to a halt as my parents show up at my doorstep, wearing grave expressions.
“Uh-oh,” Lidya says under her breath. “Too late.”
