The part where you kiss my neck and where everything feels better because you’re my boyfriend.
Yeah, I miss that part, too.
A minute passed. I kept my hands poised over the keyboard as my heart pounded. None of my apologies felt sufficient. There was never an excuse to hurt Izzy. He was sweet and gentle, and he’d only made an honest mistake.
But he wasn’t running away from me, and having him even this close again reminded me I couldn’t run away from him.
Want to come over for dinner in a couple nights?I asked.I’ll cook.
I’d love to.
Great. Thanks, Izzy, for being sweet and for giving me time to work this out.
No problem, Kai.See you soon.
I closed the chat and let out a long breath. It was time to make things right again, no matter how much my other feelings tried to get in the way.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Izzy
“Oh hey! Izzy!”
River was standing across from the street as I left my studio. We were both dressed for work in sweaters and nice trousers. When I waved, he jogged across the street to join me, a leather bag swinging off his shoulder.
“Good to see you!” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I was just walking to the coffee shop.”
“Me, too.” I gestured toward the sky, dotted with clouds. “Catching the warm days while they’re still here.”
“Walk together?”
I nodded, and we took off. The sidewalk was just beginning to fill with people, and above us, the trees exploded with yellows, oranges, and reds.
“I keep meaning to text you,” River said. “Leo and I want to have you over for a drink.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” I said quickly. “You know…” I trailed my hand through the air as we walked. Surely, River knew about the drama with the picture, but I felt like I couldn’t bring it up without somehow breaking Kai’s trust.
“You and Kai having a moment doesn’t change things with us. You’re my friend, Izzy. And one of my favorite people in the world, as a matter of fact, so of course I still want to have you over.” He laughed, swinging his bag. “How many times did you help distract me with a bike ride after I had a drama with one of my junior high dates?”
“Like, a million,” I laughed.
“Exactly. I know you and Kai are hanging out tonight, but hit me and Leo up sometime soon, please. We can just chill. We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to, social media scandals or otherwise.”
I nodded. “Definitely, I will.”
An excited little burst came through me. Ever since I’d posted the photo, there had been a wall not just between me and Kai, but I had created one just as high between me and the rest of his group, too.
No way it would be appropriate for me to reach out to them, I figured. Kai’s brother and his friends were his world, and I was just a visitor, an outsider. But as River and I walked together, I realized it was different than that.
Maybe I had found my place, fifteen years after thinking I lost it.
River looked up toward the sky, the warm light on his face. “Why didn’t you ever ask me out when we were young, by the way?”
I blinked, and immediately, I felt my cheeks flushing. “Me?”
River laughed warmly. “Yeah, you. You’re the only long-lost best friend on this walk.”
I pursed my lips. Apparently, River was part of theeveryonethat knew I had a crush on him. “Well, I guess I was nervous. And shy.”
