Page 28 of The Night We Met

5 hours later

I’m sitting by the fountain in the middle of the quad on my phone, texting Mason when Liam calls out my name. I look up and see him walking towards me. Things haven’t been the same between us since that last night. There's been this river between us and I don’t know how to cross it. My phone buzzes with an incoming text from Mason, but I lock it before smiling up at Liam.

“Hey stranger. Long time no see,” Liam says by way of greeting me.

I’m nervous to talk to him. Why am I nervous?

“Hey yourself. I know, I’ve just gotten pretty busy lately. Sorry about that.”

I think I’m about to break his heart.

“No problem. So what did you want to talk about?” He takes a seat next to me and looks at me like I hung the moon.

Oh, Liam. I absolutely did not hang the moon.

“I actually wanted to tell you something,” deep breath Kamryn. You can do this! “Do you remember that big back-to-school party a couple weeks ago?” He nods. So I continue. “Well, I met someone there. It wasn’t planned. Well for me it wasn’t. Sarah kind of introduced us. We hit it off. But hadn’t seen each other until about a week later. Then we went on a date that Tuesday and then another one this morning. We made it officialright after.”

I look at him to gauge his reaction. If he’s hurt then he’s hiding it damn well.

I see a little twitch in his jaw before he looks at me with a small smile on his face. “What’s his name?”

“Mason Brooks.”

Liam’s eyes jump to his hairline, “You’re dating the starting QB for our school?”

I nod. “I know it’s completely random. But he’s a good guy. Despite what others may think of him. And he makes me laugh and I’m really happy.”

“That’s great Kam,” Liam responds, surprising me.

“Really?”

“Yeah. As long as you’re happy.”

“I am. Thank you Liam.”

We both look out onto the quad. Not knowing what to say. But knowing something else should be said.

“I just - I know we said we’d let the other know when we met someone. And I chose to let you know rather than you finding out from someone else.”

He looks at me with a furrowed brow, choosing not to say anything.

The silence is no longer the comfortable silence that I once had with Liam. Instead it’s awkward. How do you go back to being just friends with someone who has had your body in ways no one has? When the silence is too brutal to stand, I make an excuse to leave. I give him a hug and tell him my relationship doesn’t change our friendship, before walking back to my dorm.

I guess that went way better than expected.

But sometimes, life has a funny way of surprising you.

Liam

Fuck.

I played the role of supportive best friend. Listening to my best friend gush about her new boyfriend. How dumb am I to think that she and I would just fall together? To think that our hookup could have been the beginning of us. As more than just Kamryn and Liam. As more than just best friends since elementary school?

Regret twines its way through my body. It’s the only feeling I can latch on to.

It’s a Friday. The football team is on the road. The campus is quiet. Too quiet.

Me: Any parties tonight?

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