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I shake my head. “I remember being at the reception but I don’t remember you taking me home.”

“When I got you home, you were talking about wanting something so bad that it hurt, like a physical ache in your body.”

My breath catches, and I wonder just how much I revealed to him in my drunken state. Oh God, no one is supposed to know. Did I tell him everything? Is that why he’s been avoiding me like the plague?

“I took you to bed and then, you kissed me, Addy.”

I kissed Trey? My gaze drops to his lips, and I lick my own, wondering what it would feel like if he pressed them against mine. Would his touch make my blood race and my breathing quicken? Or would I feel nothing – securing his place in my life as a friend only?

“Oh,” I whisper, and he nods.

“Yeah, oh. And here’s the thing, I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s driving me crazy.”

I know what he means. I can’t stop thinking about doing it again, taking a step toward him and pressing my lips to his. The thought is consuming my mind, and my body is reacting. But it’s just got to be my imagination, right? It’s the taboo of kissing someone who is my friend and totally off limits. Isn’t it? No, I have to stop these thoughts. He’s my friend, and I have no intention of changing that. I can’t.

“I’m so sorry, Trey. I was drunk, and I didn’t mean to mess up our friendship. I’ve really missed you this week.”

His eyes narrow as he studies me thoroughly. “So that’s it, then? It was a mistake and we’re just friends?”

“What else would it be?” I ask breathlessly, my heart racing out of control. He sighs, and I see all the anger leave his body at once, like a wave returning to the ocean.

“Okay.” His actions don’t match his words, and I can’t help but feel like we’re further away now than we were when I walked in here.

“Trey, you’ll never know how sorry I am, and I don’t know what I would do without you so I hope that you can find a way to forgive me.”

His face softens instantly, and he pulls me into his arms, hugging me tightly. I bury my face in his chest and squeeze him, so glad to even be near him after a week apart. That same calm I just saw in his eyes washes over me, and it’s easier to breathe, knowing that I’m not losing him from my life. It’s obvious that I need him, my friend.

“You’re already forgiven, Ad.”

* * * *

Sighing, I lean back in my chair and assess the project I’ve been working on for the last hour. It’s just not coming together, and I know that I need to get out of the house for a little bit before coming back to it. That always seems to work for me, and it took me a couple of years to figure it out but once I did, I started doing better work, faster, and it’s one of the components that really helped my business take off. Right now, looking at the logo that I’ve been trying to design on my computer screen, I know that’s just what I need to do. I can’t even tell you what’s wrong with it but something just isn’t right.

Giving up for now, I grab my phone and spin away from the computer as I scroll through my contacts, searching for Trey’s name. I feel like our talk last night went as well as I expected it to, and despite whatever confusing feelings that have been surfacing lately, I know that us staying friends is the best course of action. It’s probably just a weird patch anyway – a reaction to our friends all shacking up with each other – and it will pass soon.

I finally get to his name and press the send button, hoping that any leftover tension from our fight will be long gone. He answers on the third ring, and I consider that an improvement from a couple days ago.

“Hey, what are you up to?” I ask.

“Not a whole lot. Just messin’ around with the guitar. Why?”

I spin back to the computer and save my work before closing it out. “You want to get out and go see a movie with me?”

Trey’s quiet for a few seconds, and I pause, nerves hitting me. Are we not as okay as he said we were last night? Is he going to say no? My stomach flips at the thought, and my teeth sink into my bottom lip as I wait for an answer.

“Um…yeah, I guess we could do that,” he finally says, and I feel like I can breathe again.

“Okay, cool. Meet you at the theatre?”

He agrees, and we say good-bye. Jumping up, I go to my closet to look for something to wear. I’m halfway through my rack of clothes before I realize that the t-shirt and jeans I’m wearing are just fine for a trip to the movies. What the hell was I doing? Was I really going to dress up for Trey like we were going on a date? I need to do something to fix this. I can’t keep going around, having these feelings for my friend.

I’m reaching into my back pocket for my phone to check the dating site when a picture of Conner licking a chicken wing clean pops into my mind, and I pause. I promised myself that I would stop with the online dating after him but I need to keep myself distracted, and maybe a good date or two will squash all these feelings rising up. Taking a deep breath, I let my hand fall and promise myself that after our talk last night all the weirdness will be gone.

I check my reflection in the mirror one last time and tousle my honey blonde hair before applying a little bit of lip gloss and slipping on my flip-flops. When I get down to my car, I roll the windows down and crank up the music and let the wind whip through my hair as I drive toward the only movie theatre in town. By the time I pull into the parking lot, I feel refreshed – like the wind took away all my worries.

“Hey, pretty girl, I thought I was gonna have to wait for at least another ten minutes,” Trey says, coming up behind me as I climb out of my car.

“Shut up. I’m not always late, and you should never sneak up on a lady.”