He invited me out.
And for a second — just one — I was excited.
Then he mentioned Abby.
Fuck.
I don’t know if I can do this.
But if I say no, I give him a reason to stop asking.
And I can’t risk that.
So I tell him yes.
• • •
I ask if I can bring someone.
Taylor.
He’s from school. Quiet. Thoughtful. The kind of person who actually listens when you talk — who asked me once what I was reading and waited for the full answer, then said the title back to me a week later like he’d filed it away somewhere.
He laughs at the right moments without trying.
Nothing like Cassian.
Maybe that’s the point.
Maybe I should start spending time with people who don’t make me feel like I’m constantly off-balance.
Like I’m one wrong step away from losing everything.
He says yes immediately.
Thank God.
At least I won’t look completely pathetic.
• • •
We meet at a burger place before the movie.
All four of us.
My parents drop us off out front, my mom making kissy faces through the window, my dad giving me an exaggerated thumbs up.
I’ve told them a million times it’s not a date.
Still, my stomach twists.
I glance at Taylor.
He looks nervous.
That makes two of us.
I probably should’ve clarified.
