Page 48 of Diem

Is there more to whatever happened between them? I wish Matt would just tell me.

Either way, I hope Diem isn’t around, despite what my traitorous stomach says.

To my horror when we step inside, I find the whole of our school or so it seems surrounding Diem while he chugs beer out of a beer bong.

“Drink. Drink. Drink,” the crowd shouts in unison.

Birthday banners line the walls and a cake made out of donuts sits on the counter. Oh shit. Am I crashing Diem’sbirthdayparty?

Kill me fucking now.

Harriet is immune to my unease and pushes through the throng to the beer. Behind her, I stand like a deer in headlights trying to decide if I should bail.

Except I didn’t drive. Fuck me.

Diem drops the nozzle with a grin and of course meets my stare across at least fifty people between us.

His eyes widen and then narrow. I turn to go and run smack into Matt who wraps his arms around me and says, “Relax.”

Frozen, I can’t decide what to do but Diem makes the choice for me when he calls over the din, “Maeve! You made it and your boy-toy too. Well, what are you waiting for? Drinks are over here.”

There’s a dangerous edge to his tone that I don’t want to entertain but if I go now, I’ll just be the laughingstock all over again. So, I grit my teeth and plaster on a smile before grabbing Matt’s hand and heading for the kitchen.

Harriet is already gone which is just as well because I have a few choice words for her.

Beside me, Matt pours a beer and hands it over. With a wan smile, I chug half the drink and glance at him sideways when he says, “Slow down.”

He merely raises a brow and I turn away back to Diem because the fucker won’t go the fuck away.

“What? No birthday wishes?” he says in a silky tone. I bristle and his smile widens. “Maybe we can reenact the night I took your cherry? In case boy-toy needs a few pointers.”

I’m given no chance to respond and only instinct has me folding into his embrace when Matt says, “I’ve got it covered, bro.”

Diem’s eyes flash before they drop to my hands clutching Matt’s shirt. I’m five seconds from running for the door.Why can’t he just leave me the fuck alone?

“Hm. Let’s play a drinking game. It’s called pin the tail on the loser. Maeve, be a darling and stand against that wall, will you?”

A titter breaks out followed by another and that’s when I lose my shit. Leaning over the bar, I throw my drink in his face and hiss, “Happy birthday, you soulless fuck.”

His eyes bore into mine as he curls his lips into a smirk. With a shiver, I bare my teeth and say to Matt, “C’mon.”

I don’t wait around and sail through the door before stalking onto the beach. I can’t see much but I don’t need to. I just need fucking air.

“Hey,” Matt says, grabbing my arm. Sagging, I cover my face and the ever-present fucking tears. “Just ignore him. He’s a dick.”

Sniffling, I say through my fingers, “Easy for you to say.”

“Why? Clearly, he’s out for you. Yet you keep coming back. What’s the deal, Maeve?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” I say dully before turning to the ocean.

The distant roar of the waves washes over me like a balm, and I wrap my arms around my middle. How do I explain the hold Diem has over my heart?

It’s not just this ridiculous crush. Once upon a time, before Diem, Ollie was my best friend. He was my twin and I thought we could never be separated but over time he started to pull away until it felt like I was an annoyance and nothing more.

This hurt me to a level I can’t put into words, but Diem eased the ache. He stepped into the void. He was the one who went out of his way to include me, to Ollie’s everlasting annoyance.

Diem made sure I didn’t disappear although over time his presence became more subdued and infrequent. Right up until that goddamn night when everything was ruined, Diem was someone I knew would keep me tethered to the here and now.

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