Page 96 of The Last Time

I squeeze my fists to try to reign in my frustration.

“I’m surprised you’re celebrating her selling the house and leaving,” I reply.

Layla turns her head to the side. “That’s not what we’re celebrating.”

I stiffen up. “What are you celebrating?”

She gives me herI’m annoyed with youface again. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Charlotte decided not to sell. She’s going to live here permanently.”

I’m completely caught off guard. I don’t know what to do with the information or how to process it. I can pinpoint one emotion for sure: relief.

Charlotte isn’t leaving.

It’s like a breath of fresh air.

As if my body can sense her, I look passed Layla and see Charlotte and Avery talking. Charlotte’s eyes keep wandering over to me.

I can’t quite gauge what she’s thinking or feeling about my presence. The woman who is normally an open book to me has her guard up, and I hate it.

“I had no idea,” I tell Layla, not knowing what else to say.

“Just don’t make tonight about you guys. Maybe offer her a congratulations and keep it at that. Okay?” she begs.

I nod in understanding. “I don’t want to ruin her night any more than you do. I’m gonna go get a beer.”

The entire time I’m waiting in line for my drink, I try to work out the news of Charlotte’s living situation in my head. I wonder if there’s a chance part of her decision was about me. Maybe I haven’t fucked things up so badly that we’re a total lost cause. A glimmer of hope forms in my chest.

When I walk back outside with my beer, the three girls are laughing together. It doesn’t feel like a good time to approach Charlotte, so I find Josh.

“Glad you could make it,” he says to me as he slaps me on the shoulder.

“I’m not an idiot. I know what you were trying to do with that text,” I fire back at him.

He takes a big sip of his drink, seemingly unbothered. “It got you here, didn’t it?”

“That it did. I’m surprised you want me here to witness your little love fest with my sister,” I quip.

His arm stops with his beer midway to his mouth, completely shocked that I said what I said. I don’t know, maybe it’s that I’m desperate to get the focus off me, but I’ve never broached the subject with him.

He seems pissed. “There’s nothing going on between me and your sister, dick. She hates me.”

I cock an eyebrow at him. “What’s the saying? There’s a thin line between love and hate.”

“Don’t deflect your shit onto me. Trust me, Layla hates my guts.”

I look back at Charlotte, who is watching me intently.

But then, out of nowhere, Paul appears.

He has no idea I’m here. I watch as he takes a seat next to Charlotte, wraps his arm around her neck, and whispers in her ear. The entire time, her eyes remain on me.

I’ve held in my anger for years, kept it hidden. Right now, I don’t know what the difference is. Maybe it’s that I’m starting to release some of the anger that’s making it unable to stop the rest of it from pouring out.

I storm over to the two of them and shove him off the table onto the ground.

“Dude, what the fuck was that for?” he looks up at me.

“That’s for putting your hands on my girl,” I growl. “You’d be wise to keep your hands to yourself from now on.”

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