“We shouldn’t have done that.” His voice is rough, regret bleeding through every word. “That was a mistake.”
“A mistake?”
Something inside me crumbles.
I know things are complicated between us. I know there are reasons. But hearing him callthata mistake? It guts me. With that one word, everything I’ve held onto for years—every secret hope, every hidden feeling—goes up in flames.
“We can’t,” he says, not meeting my eyes. “Amber?—”
Shame rushes in then, hot as it floods my cheeks.
Shit.
Amber.
God—how did I forget about Amber? Even for a second.
Even if she’s impossible. Self-absorbed, selfish, inconsiderate. Even if we haven’t felt like real sisters in a very long time—she stillismy sister. And Hayes is… what, exactly?
Her ex? Her almost boyfriend again?
Either way, even if they’re not officially anything right now, it’s still a shitty thing to do without talking to her first. It doesn’t matter if her feelings for him are mostly for show, if maybe she only loves the way he looks standing beside her. It doesn’t matter that my feelings for him go deep enough to undo me. That I know him better than anyone else and love him anyway. That he’s the only person I’ve ever loved like this. The only one I could. It doesn’t even matter that he sees me in ways no one else ever has and probably ever will.
None of that excuses what just happened.
A line was crossed.
Holy hell. What did I just do?
“Right. Of course.” I take a step back, my neck burning. “You and me—we can’t. Because you and Amber are?—”
“No. That’s not it.” He cuts in. “You don’t understand.”
Suddenly, the air between us feels all wrong. What was electric only seconds ago is now jagged and torn.
“I should go.”
“No, you can’t.” He grabs my hand and the urgency in his voice returns, stopping me cold. “Amber needs you. That’s why I asked you over.”
I freeze.
“Amber’shere?”
My gaze sweeps the room, heart pounding.
“Not exactly,” he says. “But she’s close. I’ll take you to her.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“I could try to explain, but you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Not unless you see it for yourself.” His grip tightens, voice softening. “I need you to trust me. Can you do that?”
I stare at him.
Despite everything—the confusion, the hurt, the mess—he’s stillhim.Still the boy I’ve loved my whole life. My best friend in the world since we were five. My everything.
“I trust you.”
A shadow crosses his face. “You’ll come with me? No matter what happens next?”
