Page 106 of I Just Want to be Yours

My fight or flight instincts relax a bit at the sound of the wordfriends.He’s right. Wearefriends. We can hang out somewhere other than our apartments and still be friends. “Fine.” Letting out a sigh, I try to sound a bit friendlier when I look at him and add, “That would be great.” Then I take a sip from my drink and shoot Rae a quick glare when Braden isn’t looking.

She gives me an apologetic grin, but she doesn’t look like she’s sorry. She looks like she’ll be able to enjoy a tree lighting ceremony without feeling guilty now—which to her, is at least one good thing about me being forced to hang out with Braden. Not that Braden is bad company. It’s just that everything about hanging out with him one-on-one feels . . . wrong.

Considering it hasn’t even happened yet, that’s probably unfair.

I’m sure it will be fine. I’ll spend some time with Braden to avoid being a riddled mess, watching the clock. Jackson won’t come here because we aren’t together, and by tomorrow, I’ll be able to breathe a little easier again.

This day can’t go by fast enough.

59

jackson

As of last night,the tour is officially over. We went out and celebrated with Crooner Sins, but the entire time all I could think about wastoday.Today is the day I’ll finally get to see where Margot and I stand. All it will take is one look. One look, and I’ll know how she feels. I’ll know if she’s moved on, or if she’s just scared.

God, I hope she’s scared.

I can handle scared Margot. I can handle the Margot that gets stuck in her head and wants to run. It’s an indifferent Margot that terrifies me—one that can look me in the eyes and say with complete confidence that she doesn’t want me. That’s a version of Margot I’ve never seen, and that’s the Margot who just might break me.

Ever since we broke up, I’ve held out hope, and it’s made everything feel less final. Less real. Maybe that makes me delusional, but I don’t care. If she still feels anything for me at all, it will be worth it.

Mya takes a seat on Brady’s bunk across from mine in the RV while I toss my phone charger into my backpack. We’re still parked at the hotel we all stayed in last night, but I alreadychecked out. The plan is for everyone to drop me off at the airport an hour away. Then they’ll keep heading west to California, and I’ll meet up with them in a couple of days.

“Hey, Lover Boy,” she says happily.

I give her a sideways glance. “You might need to come up with a new nickname.”

“What do you want it to be?” she asks as she lays back on Brady’s bunk and crosses her feet at her ankles. “Sad Boy just doesn’t have the same ring to it.” Grabbing my pillow, I toss it at her, and she laughs. “You won’t need a new nickname. You’ll get her back, and all will be restored.”

“Maybe.”

Mya sits up cross-legged. “She’s not seeing anyone new, right?”

An image of Margot with someone else flashes in my mind, and I have to swallow down the thought. “Not that she’s mentioned.”

She smiles. “See, then you’re fine. It’s been six weeks. If I were single for six weeks, I’d be hooking up with whoever I wanted by then.”

An entirely new image of Margot flashes in my mind, the thought of her hooking up with anyone could make me physically sick. “You suck at pep talks, you know that?”

Mya waves off my comment. “You know what I mean. If she hasn’t started dating, it means she still feels some sort of loyalty to you. She hasn’t moved on.”

I run my hand over my hair and hope she’s right. “We’ll see, I guess.”

Dave pokes his head into the RV. “Today’s the big day!”

I flip him the bird with a laugh, and he only grins wider.

“Don’t make him nervous,” Mya scolds. “He’s already showing up with no flowers.” She gives me a sideways glance with a teasing twist to her lips.

“Here. You can have one too.” I flip her off with my other hand and she smiles slowly.

Dave leans in a little more to get a better look. “Oh, good. Mya is here.” Looking back to me, he adds, “Brady and Brian are in their rooms, but I haven’t found Marty yet.”

Mya rolls her eyes as she gets to her feet. “I don’t know why Brian bothers booking him a room. He never uses it.”

Dave lets out a sigh. “One can dream.” He nods in my direction. “Just remember when all this goes to his head that you were the one who made us big.”

I let out a breath of laughter and follow Mya toward the front. “I’m pretty sure he’d be an asshole either way.”

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