Page 50 of From Our First

“Wow, that brought up visuals I don’t even want to imagine,” Hazel said, and we all laughed, the tension sliding away ever so slightly.

“Just say it in one quick burst.” Dakota met my gaze, and I let out a breath.

“Nate and I slept together.”

“You’re serious?” Hazel asked.

“Wow,” Dakota mouthed.

“You mean since the divorce?” Paris asked, straight to the point as always.

“As in right after I told you guys.” I clarified.

Hazel blinked.

“We had sex. Against a wall. And we were still wearing our clothes.” I let out a groan and put my hands over my face, hunching over my knees.

The girls were silent for a moment before they all started speaking at once. I only caught a few words, something about wow and oh my God, and a question: how was it?

I snorted and shook my head. “I don’t want to get into the particulars.”

“You’re welcome to get into the particulars.” Paris winked. “So, let me get this straight, you guys fight constantly, you finally tell us that you guys were married and got divorced in short order, and then you slept together?”

I nodded, swallowing hard. “That about sums it up.”

“What does it mean?” Dakota asked.

“It means nothing, other than the fact that I wanted to be clear with all of you that it has to mean nothing. Nate and I shook on it. We’re friends.”

Paris snorted.

“Oh, so that’s what they’re calling it these days?” Hazel asked, her voice sly.

“Stop it.” I could feel my cheeks heating up as I blushed, and I shook my head. “It was an accident.”

“So, he just fell into you over and over again?” Paris asked, her voice dry.

“Now there’s an image,” Dakota said.

“Anyway,” I cut in as they all started laughing with one another, “it was fun, it cut the tension, and we’re never doing it again. We had a handshake after we talked about it the next morning and we both said we wouldn’t do it again. We’re friends, and we’ll make this work.”

“You’re going to make being friends work…”

I nodded at Hazel. “We have to. We’ve already gone through so much because of how young we were and my parents being who they are. It’s too much to get over. But we can try to be friends. Because we’re all so connected, and I don’t want to interfere with that.”

“And what about your heart?” Dakota asked softly.

“What of it? There was no heart involved in what Nate and I did.”

I knew those words were a lie, but I wasn’t going to let myself call them anything but the truth.

The girls nodded at me and swallowed hard.

“Okay,” Hazel added, her voice low. “I’m glad you told us. Now, there are no more awkward secrets, though I am going to have to try and imagine exactly how you had sex with all of your clothes on against a wall.”

Paris grinned like a cat with a canary. “Oh, there are ways.”

I cringed. “Please, stop. I have to face Prior at our next meal, and I don’t need to picture that.”

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