Page 9 of The Reunion

“Havilah Loren,” I say, trying to place why it sounds so familiar, and then it hits me. “Isn’t that Halo’s given name?”

All the color drains from Bre’s face. “Halo, as insuper mega chart-topping pop starHalo?”

“That’d be the one,” Ford says, grinning. “She’s friends with Sasha-Kate.”

So much for Bre not being starstruck, I think, stifling a laugh. It’s cute that either of us ever thought she could contain her chill.

“Who’s friends with Sasha-Kate?” a deep voice says, one I’d recognize in my sleep. Ransom appears beside me, pulls me in close for a side hug. It’s smooth, especially considering this is new territory, only a ghost of how it once was between us.

“Time’s been good to you, Liv,” he says, his voice muffled in my hair, turning all of me to honey.

“And me?” Ford says, pulling us apart and giving Ransom a gigantic hug of his own.

Ransom laughs. “Time’s been good to you, too. Where’s Juliette? She shooting with Cast already?”

“She was disappointed to miss out on this, yeah,” Ford says. “And Gemma? Those rumors true, man?”

I, too, would like to know if those rumors are true.

Ransom grimaces. “Had to get my watch battery replaced a few weeks ago, and the jewelry shop was right around the corner from one of my shoots. Half hour later, the world thinks we’re getting engaged.” He glances over his shoulder, as if he’s afraid the wrong person might hear. “Things had actually been shaky with Gemma for a while,” he goes on. “The engagement rumors broke us up for good.”

My heart skips.

They’re not engaged—they’re not eventogether.

“I’m sorry,what?” Ford says, emphatic enough to distract from how completely and utterly frozen this revelation has left me. “How did you manage to keep that out of the press?”

Ransom’s gaze flickers over to mine. “Tried my best to make sure our private life stayed private. For her sake.” The briefest shadow clouds his face, but then he’s bright and beaming. “But, ahhh, hey—on the bright side, the internet took a nice break from analyzing my romantic life for most of today.”

“You forgive me for the kittens, then?” I tease, and his dimples deepen.

“I should buy youdinnerfor the kittens,” he quips back. “Adoptions have shot through the roof—”

“And so has your social media following,” Bre says, finally finding words again. That was the longest she’s ever gone without speaking for as long as I’ve known her.

Ransom laughs. “You, I like.”

“Bre, Ransom—Ransom, Bre,” I say. “My wonderful assistant—”

“Slash best friend,” she finishes for me.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Ransom says, flashing his best grin, the one that’s likely responsible for kicking off his entire career. “What about you, Liv? No date tonight?”

“Did you just give her thetwinkle?” Ford exclaims, and here we go—it’s like we’re all sixteen again. Ford and Ransom together were always a charismatic mess, feeding off each other’s energy. “I detected a distinct sparkle in your eye, Rance.”

“I saw it, too!” I add, because Ransom has always adamantly denied the existence of the twinkle, and I can’t help myself. And then reality sets in, and I’m hit with the full weight of the question I’ve just been asked: Ransom Joel is curious about my dating life.

I’m not ready to think about what that means.

“No—no date.” I consider adding more—that it’s been years since I’ve even been on afirstdate, let alone been one half of a steady relationship—but the silence blooms between us, taking up all the space where my words should go.

“So, Bre,” Ford says pointedly, “want to check out the drinks with me?”

Bre’s not oblivious. Ford hooks his arm into hers, and together, they head off in the general direction of away from us.

“It’s good to see you, Liv,” Ransom says, once it’s just us, eyes locked on mine. “I wanted to ask—wanted to make sure—”

His voice drops off, and he runs a hand through his hair. “The way we left things, back when the show ended… I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot of time to think over the years, and in hindsight, I don’t think I handled what happened as well as I could have.” He’s quiet for a beat, and I know the same dark memories must be playing across both our minds. “I’m sure you’ve moved on from it, but I just wanted to tell you, because we’ve got some, um, scenes to do next week. And I want to make sure you know I never meant to hurt you before we get that close again. In the scenes.”

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