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“I know. Me neither.” We’re both caught in the middle of this mess.

“You’re one of my best friends,” she says. “I don’t care about some stupid family vendetta. And I know it’s difficult between you and Sebastian, but can we—I don’t know, still be friends?”

My vision blurs as tears threaten to spill, and I nod.

Her face crumples, and she pulls me into a tight hug. I cling to her, burying my face in her shoulder as the tears fall.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble into her shirt. “I didn’t know how to face everything.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. I get it. I do.” She rubs my back, her own voice thick with emotion. “I’m here. Mary’s here. We’ve got you.”

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. “Thanks. I missed you guys.”

“We missed you, too.” She tears up as well. “Now, let’s go watch some cheesy rom-coms and stuff our faces with junk food and margaritas, yeah?”

I laugh, the sound foreign to my own ears. “That sounds perfect.”

Gemma links her arm through mine, leading me into the living room where Mary is waiting, a huge grin on her face.

“Lil! I missed you so much!” She tackles me in a hug, almost knocking me off my feet.

I hug her back as tightly. “I missed you too. Both of you.”

We settle onto the couch, a tangle of limbs and blankets. Mary’s head rests on my shoulder, her hair tickling my cheek. Gemma sits cross-legged on the floor, her back against our legs. The opening credits of some rom-com roll, and we clink our margaritas together.

This. This is what I needed.

Screw the family drama. Screw the complications with Sebastian.

“God, I wish my love life was that simple,” Mary gestures at the screen where the leads are locked in a passionate embrace. “Meet cute, fall in love, happily ever after. Boom, done.”

Gemma snorts. “Please, like you’d want it to be that boring.”

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

Gemma grins, popping a chip into her mouth. “Speaking of, how’s it going with Connor?”

Mary groans, burying her face in her hands. “Don’t even start. I swear, that boy is as dense as a brick wall.”

“You still didn’t talk to him?” I ask. “What’s the worst that could happen?” The chances that their families are at odds are very slim now.

“Uh, he could reject me, and then I’d have to change my name and move to a new country?”

“Dramatic much?” Gemma laughs.

“Okay, but seriously.” Mary sits up straighter. “Gem, how do you do it? How are you so confident with guys?”

“I don’t know. I go for what I want, I guess. Life’s too short to play games or wait around for someone else to make the first move. But before you go confessing your undying love, we need to make sure you pass your exams. Have you started studying for Econ yet?”

Mary’s groan is loud enough to drown out the movie. “Gem, nooooo. It’s girls’ night. Plus, we just had exams.”

“Nuh-uh, missy. You promised you’d start this weekend.”

“Oh, and you missed the pop quiz on Tuesday,” Mary says. “It was brutal.”

I sink further into the couch cushions. “Don’t remind me, please. I still have to catch up on everything.”

Gemma waves her hand dismissively. “Nah, you’ll be fine. I’ll give you my notes.”

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