We both froze.
“Should we…?” I whispered, nodding towards the sound.
He hesitated, then sighed. “Just a peek.”
We crept towards the edge of the terrace, the gravel crunching far too loudly underfoot. I crouched beside a row of empty wine barrels, feeling half ridiculous, half thrilled.
From here, we could just make them out, two dark silhouettes near the end of the path, facing each other.
James’s voice rose, angry and tight. Ethans was lower, steadier, but no less dangerous.
Noah leaned closer. “This is bad.”
“This isfront-page, trending-hashtagbad.” I whispered.
“I’m asking you a question,” James said loudly. “How long have you been in love with her?”
Ethan’s voice came out patronising. “You’ve had a few drinks. Let’s not do this, mate.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“Because it’s not a fair question, you know we dated at University.”
“Oh, come on,” James snapped. “Don’t give me that moral high ground crap. You discarded her. But I see the way you look at her. Everyone can see how you look at her.”
“I look at her,” Ethan said, “like someone I respect. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
I could hear the sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate.
James’s tone hardened. “Don’t start pretending you’re better than me. You’ve been waiting, haven’t you? Sitting back, playing the loyal friend.”
“That’s not…”
“Don’t lie to me, Ethan. I’ve known you for fifteen years. You go quiet whenever she walks in. You think no one notices?”
Ethan’s silence said everything.
When he finally spoke, his voice was tempered, but the restraint was cracking. “You don’t need me to tell you what’s wrong, James. You already know. You’ve been trying to make this work for months and it’s breaking her.”
“Fuck off, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I do. Because she actually talks to me.”
That landed like a punch.
James huffed a laugh once, short, breathless, dangerous. “Right. And what does she say, then? That she’s made a mistake? That she wants to run away with you?”
Ethan didn’t answer.
“Christ,” James said, voice rising now. “You actually think she’d choose you, don’t you?”
“I don’t think anything,” Ethan said evenly. “I just know she deserves to be happy.”
“Sheishappy,” James snapped.
“Then why are you out here shouting at me in the dark?”
That stopped him.
