Briar wasn’t sure how long they stood there before Freddie cleared his throat uncomfortably. ‘What’s that, Sierra?’ he called weakly before bolting up the stairs.
‘Well,’ Alice said, shifting uncomfortably, ‘this is unfortunate.’ She winced at her own words and Briar blew out a long breath, waiting for Noah to say something.
‘How long has this been going on?’ Noah asked, reaching the bottom of the stairs. He wasn’t looking at Briar, but over her shoulder at Alice.
‘Since the Fourth of July,’ Alice said. Briar glanced between them, feeling like she was once again watching Alice and Noah’s relationship from the outside. ‘But it’s casual.’
Hearing Alice say those words hurt Briar more than she’d expected. It didn’t matter that she’d been the one to insist they didn’t tell anyone, that she had wanted it to be casual in the first place. A part of herself she hadn’t recognized until now had hoped she wasn’t the only one getting lost in this thing between them.
The words were a helpful reminder of what they actually were to each other. Of course logical, unflappable Alice felt exactly what Briar had asked her to feel. She had thought she was doing things differently this time, but they had ended up in the exact same place. And it would end the exact same way: Alice gone, and her heartbroken.
‘Casual,’ Noah repeated. ‘If it’s casual, why didn’t you tell me?’
Alice glanced at Briar. ‘I—’
‘We didn’t want you to be mad,’ Briar said, stepping between them. If she and Alice would never see each other again after tonight, preserving her friendship with Noah had to be her priority.
Noah shot her a quizzical look. ‘Mad? Why would I be mad?’
‘Your ex and your best friend…’ Briar trailed off at the look on his face.
He snorted and shook his head. ‘My best friend finding someone to support her through the toughest time in her life? Oh yeah, I’m pissed.’
‘It would be okay if you were,’ Briar said.
‘I’m not,’ Noah said. ‘Honestly, did you guys really think I would care? High school was like a million years ago. I love you, and I want what’s best for you. Always. Even if it’s Alice.’ He looked at Alice. ‘Especially if it’s Alice.’
Briar refused to cry. Instead, she hugged Noah, tucking her head into his neck as he wrapped his arms around her. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’m gonna go up,’ Alice said awkwardly, already headed for the stairs. ‘Someone should make sure Freddie’s still breathing.’
Noah pulled a six-pack of beer from the fridge, which Briar assumed was why he and Freddie were in the basement in the first place. He tossed her a can.
‘So… you and Alice,’ he said, eyeing her. Briar popped her beer open, leaning against the gardening bench and hoping she looked nonchalant. ‘Casual.’
‘So casual,’ Briar repeated.
‘Uh huh.’
They stared at each other for a long time, not blinking. Briar caved first. ‘Okay, maybe not so casual for some of us.’
Noah snorted. ‘No kidding.’ He messed with the tab of the beer can, and Briar could tell he was gearing up for a lecture. ‘This started before the Fourth, didn’t it?’
Briar swallowed hard. ‘Um… I don’t know how to answer that.’
‘I mean, it started back in high school, right?’ Noah asked, raising his eyebrows.
Briar squeezed her eyes shut. ‘For me, at least, yeah.’
She didn’t know what she had expected from Noah, but he just nodded thoughtfully, as though he’d figured out the riff of a particularly complicated song.
‘I think I kinda knew,’ he said. ‘I mean, we were friends before, but that fall semester freshman year, I feel like I got to know the real you. And having someone who was going through the same thing was nice. It was the same, right?’ He watched Briar’s face carefully, and whatever expression she made he must have read as confirmation. ‘You lost her like I did. Loved her like I did, didn’t you?’
Briar could only choke out, ‘Noah, I’m so sorry. I should’ve told you. I don’t know why I didn’t.’
‘I wish you had.’
‘There’s one more thing…’ Briar hesitated, not sure how much to share, but not wanting to keep secrets anymore. ‘Alice leaving was my fault. We kissed at the end of camp. That’s why she left, because she couldn’t handle that she had cheated on you.’
