“Not that he everneedshelp getting girls at bars.”
The words landed casually, tossed out like a harmless observation, but they lodged under my skin anyway. I knew who Luke was. I’d always known. I wasn’t delusional enough to pretend he’d suddenly become someone else just because of me, but the words still stung. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.
“Remember? I told you this.” Directing this to Summer, he kept his eyes locked on Luke. “There was this girl hitting on me, but I told her I was taken. She wouldn’t back off. And Luke...” Ethan looked him dead in the eye with a fake smile. “...took care of the situation. Brought her to his hotel room instead. And forseveralnights after.” Ethan chuckled delightfully. Politely, but not in a good way.
“Lucky me, having such anexperiencedbest friend.”
“Ethan,” Luke whispered, voice tight with anger. I wasn’t touching him anymore, but he was tense beside me. I took a big gulp of water, not knowing what to do with my hands. Something was going on. I felt his reminders as daggers in my chest. I didn’t look at Luke, but I knew this story was meant for me, even if it wasn’t because of me.
“Guys,” Summer pleaded. “Not here.”
What the hell was going on?!
Ethan turned to me. “You know, Luke gets his charm from his dad. A lifetime ago, he was quite the ladies’ man himself. What do you think, Hazel?” he asked, furrowing my brows, unsure what the right answer was.
“Do you believe our parents indirectly influence our choices even as adults?”
Which parents? My parents? Luke’s?
“That’s enough,” Luke snapped. A few heads turned our way.
“I mean, it’s a wonder he even has time for his friends, considering the amount of—”
“Shut up, Ethan.”
What I assumed would’ve come from Luke came from across the table instead. Summer. Silence settled over the wine glasses and half-eaten plates. Just an hour ago, Luke and Ethan were thrilled. What had happened?!
I looked at Luke. He stared at the napkins in the middle of the table, avoiding our gaze.
“I apologize,” Luke said in a low voice. “It seems I’ve lost my appetite.” Then he got up from his seat, leaned closer to my side and whispered, “I’ll see you back at the hotel.”
“Where are you going?” I asked quietly, worried. He just smiled, touching my shoulder gently. I wanted to stop him, but I had to let him go. I always had to.
We finished our food in silence, and when Ethan went to the bathroom, I used my chance.
“Do you know what’s wrong between them?” Summer raised her gaze to me as if already expecting me to ask. “Did...” I cleared my throat. “Have I done something wrong here?”
“No, Hazel.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s not my place here, but...” She paused, considering her next words. “All I can say is that Ethan is incredibly protective of people he considers friends. That’s all. Sometimes he crosses a line, though.”
That was extremely vague and didn’t help me at all. Wasn’t Luke his friend?
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
35
Luke
I’d been strolling through the city for over an hour, letting my feet decide where to go because my head sure as hell couldn’t.
Ethan and his fucking comments. Did he think I didn’t know all this? It was to fuck with Hazel. Remind her who I am. What I’d never be for her.
It was the truth, but he was deliberately hurting her.Iwas hurting her. As much as I wanted to be with her right now, I knew eventually we had to put a stop to this. We were leaving in two days.
I checked my phone. Six missed calls from my mother. Another session with the complaint department. Ignoring them, I headed back to the hotel. When I returned to our room, it was quiet, but the lights were on.
“Hazel?” I called out, searching for her. No response. Suddenly, I spotted the open balcony doors. She was sitting on the ledge of the thick concrete railing, her earbuds in.
I approached her. She turned, sensing me as I leaned against the balcony door. We were on the third floor, so I wasn’t too enthusiastic about the ledge.
