Page 22 of When You Had Me Adapting

“Stop staring at her,” Enzo says, walking over and sitting to my right. I offer him a small smile. “What happened between you two?”

“That’s a great, fucking question.”

He shakes his head. “You really don’t know?”

I take a deep breath. “Not really. I was eighteen and Lacey was seventeen. I had just moved to D.C. for a year to start The Young Photographers Program and the next thing I knew it was all over. Lacey ended it and then both girls blocked my number. Blocked me on all their socials. It was clear they wanted me out of their lives. I tried once to see her and it was an epic fail.” My eyes find the necklace again and I watch as she slides the locket up and down the chain. “Anyway, I got into school and then I stopped coming home. Stopped trying to contact her.”

“Really? I mean I’ve only hung out with them a few times, but the blonde seems like she takes no prisoners. She terrifies me a bit if I’m honest. How do you not know what happened?”

Lacey lets out another melodic laugh and takes a sip from her gin and tonic. My heart deflates. Growing up, Lacey never backed down from anything. She was the fearless one of our group. Always encouraging Poppy and me to follow our dreams and take chances. The only thing I’ve ever known her not to fight for wasme.

“Get it while it’s hot,” Tanner calls from the door, walking in from the balcony with a tray of burgers and hot dogs fresh off the grill and interrupting our conversation.

I shrug my shoulders. “Took me by surprise too. Let’s eat, shall we.” We both stand and walk towards the kitchen.

A line has already formed and everyone is taking turns filling their plates. Lacey walks past me and her scent immediately takes over the air. She smells like summer—coconut mixed with tropical flowers. It’s intoxicating.

“You’re up man,” Enzo says behind me, breaking me from my trance.

I take two large steps forward to close the gap and fill my plate with a burger and fries. I grab another beer from the fridge and head out of the kitchen. My eyes shift to the living room and I quickly realize there is nowhere else to sit. There’s one seatleft and it’s next to Lacey. I freeze. My eyes find hers and for a minute I half-expect her to tell me to fuck off.

“Want to sit with us?” She giggles, taking a large sip from her gin and tonic.

It’s clear she’s tipsy, but she’s offering me to sit next to her and I’m going to take it as a win. I eat mostly in silence. The conversation mostly centers around Donovan and Enzo’s upcoming wedding in July.

I consider trying to talk to her. Maybe offering to go on a walk or go sit on the balcony to see if we can put whatever she has against me behind us, but then she stands to make another drink. She stumbles, reminding me she’s been drinking and tonight isn’t the right time.

I want to talk to her, but alcohol shouldn’t be involved. I catch her waist with my arm and accidentally push up her tiny shirt, so my forearm connects with the bare skin right under her bra. Our eyes meet and her breath catches. I slowly let my fingertips graze the soft skin of her abdomen as I release her and she stands.

“You good, pixie?”

“Fine,” she says. “I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Right, sorry.” I watch as she turns and heads back into the kitchen. She methodically walks through the steps of making her cocktail, and when she’s done, she walks out and announces loudly, “Who’s ready for a game?”

I stand and start collecting empty plates from everyone around the apartment.

“What did you have in mind, Lace?” Poppy asks, handing me her plate.

“Never have I ever,” she says, walking into the living room and plopping down on the couch next to Tanner. “Come on, it’ll be fun and we can all get to know each other a little better.”

Everyone agrees. “Great,” she says, her whole face lighting up with a wide grin. “Does everyone have a drink because you have to drink every time you’ve done the thing. Who wants to go first?”

Tanner raises his hand.

“Let’s hear it, T,” Logan says.

“Never have I ever kissed a dude.” All the girls, Enzo, and Donovan take a sip.

“Alright,” Enzo says. “Never have I ever gotten a tattoo.”

I take a sip and so do a few other people in the room.

After a few more rounds, Gray, the girl I met on the boat, says, “Okay, it’s my turn. Never have I ever slept with a guy in this room.” Donovan and Enzo groan and take another swig of their beers. Poppy and Lacey clink their glasses together and tip them back.

The blood drains from my face and the room begins to spin. Lacey and I took it pretty far when we were younger, but never all the way. We had always talked about being each other’s first, but we never did.Who the fuck did she sleep with?My eyes dart around the room and land on her sitting next to Tanner. Her eyes are wide and her cheeks are tinted red.

“We never slept together,” I announce before I can stop myself.

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