Page 57 of One Short Summer

Talk about a subject change.

And the equivalent of a bucket of ice-cold water.

When we parted ways earlier today, we made plans for yet another lazy evening together. Monica brought up her plans of getting in some dancing at the academy before reminding me I still had to stick to my end of the stupid betImade.

Telling her why Alex and I aren’t friends anymore.

A frustrated groan rumbles in my throat, and I gently pat her lower back, indicating I want to get up. “I think I need a drink for that. Do you want one too?”

Monica nods. “I think I’ll have a beer. Thank you. You recorded Hudson’s festival, right?” She points behind her at the TV.

After getting both of our drinks and a few snacks, I walk back over. “I did. Normally, I watch his performances live, but this time they went on stage extra early.”

“They did. Charlie said Hudson wanted to perform early so Mira could be there too.” The huge music festival takes place in England every year, and Hudson says it’s one of the coolest performances of the year. I’m not sure I’d be happy with such a big crowd, but I’m completely content with watching it on TV at home.

This time, not alone but with Monica.

Who immediately nestles in between my legs once I sit down, her back leaning on my chest, the blue blanket from the couch pulled all the way up to her chest. Her hair is still a little wet from her shower, pressing coldly into my sternum while her hands cling to her beer bottle.

This feels so normal, it’s almost eerie. Somehow, I expected things to be different.

Maybe I thought there’d be more awkwardness after such a big change between us? Instead, everything seems the same, just more intense. Now, I can barely keep my eyes or hands off her, thinking of her constantly.

Just when my mind takes this a step further, thinking of all the wicked things I’d like to do to her this very moment, she brings me back to reality.

“So?” She looks at me over her shoulder, the curiosity burning in her eyes. “I’m listening.”

I still can’t believe I promised to tell her about Alex and me, but a promise is a promise. Plus, getting her to dance again and witnessing it firsthand was absolutely worth it. “All right, all right.”

She gently presses her lips to my throat, and even though I’m sure it’s only supposed to be a simple gesture, it calms me. I’ve always found it too embarrassing to tell anyone what happened, but look at me now.

There have been plenty of rumors going around over the years, but I never confirmed or denied any of them. All I wanted was to forget that dreadful day.

“You know, I’ve thought about what happened back then a lot since I made that bet with you, and I realized I’ve still been holding on to it. Even after all these years, I was still bitter, and I’m actually wondering if it has held me back in some ways. I mean, I haven’t dated much at all since then. How screwed up is that?”

“Hey.” Monica leans forward to put her bottle on the coffee table before twisting around so she can face me. “It’s okay to feel whatever you feel. You did so for a reason. If you now realized what you did and you want to change things, then that’s good, right? Maybe you just needed time. Nothing wrong with that.”

Her shoulders lift a little, and I can almostfeelthe support emanating off of her.

“Yeah, maybe.” My chest heaves heavily with the next inhale. “All right, let’s get this over with. So, as you know, Alex and I had been best friends since we were young kids. We went to the same schools, did the same afternoon activities, and then went on to the same college. We’d never had issues with girls, and Alex seemed happy for me when I met Ashley in my first week of college. We started dating and spent as much time together as possible. At that point, I’d already signed my first publishing deal for my first series and got an advance. Ashley thought it was the coolest thing ever, always calling me her famous boyfriend.”

Monica’s eyes are on me, giving me the strength I need to get through the bad part of the story without feeling too embarrassed. “We’d been dating for a couple years, and I thought things were going well between us. Everyone thought we wereit, you know? Me included. I thought we were headed straight for the whole package—marriage and babies. That was, until I tried to surprise her one day, only to end up being the one surprised when I found Ashley and Alex together in bed.”

“Holy shit. I was afraid it was something like that, but I was also really hoping I was wrong. Crap.” Monica’s face is filled with tight lines, the anger quietly radiating off of her in waves.

Even though it seems a bit irrational, the thought of her getting mad on my behalf somehow makes me smile.

The frown on her face deepens, and she tips her head to the side. “Why are you smiling? I don’t see anything funny about this.”

“I’m smiling because of you.”

“Me? What did I do?”

I touch the tip of her nose with my finger, and she wrinkles it in response. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

She swats my hand away but chuckles. “Whatever.”

“It’s true.” I can’t help myself and caress her cheek with my fingers, feeling relieved when she leans into my hand, as if she can’t help herself to suddenly need my touch either.

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