Page 77 of Keep Me Safe

I level a glare at her, and she tries to rein it in.

“I mean, you made love,” she says, her eyes squinting as her head tilts.

“Oh god, please don’t say it like that.”

“But, you did, didn’t you?!” accusation clear in her tone.

Sighing, I give her the slightest nod. She gasps, the sheer joy on her face a little unnerving. Her eyebrows squish together when she realizes I’m not matching her energy.

“What happened?”

I want to tell her everything. She’s the only person other than Noah or Jared I trust, but I can’t do it here. We need snacks and maybe some wine to get through it all.

“Do you want to come over tonight? Noah is at work, and Jared is at a friend’s. Maybe we can get takeout? We can debrief then.”

Her mood shifts slightly at my lack of an answer.

“Of course.”

I text Noah, making sure it’s okay for Maddie to come over. It doesn’t take long to get a reply.

Kira:Is it okay if Maddie comes over tonight?

Noah:Sure

Sure? A one-word response? He’s probably busy.

When Maddie shows up at the door at around seven with not one but two bags of takeout, I know this is going to be a good night. We get everything set up on the coffee table because thereis no way I am eating at the dinner table if I don’t have to. Grabbing us two glasses, I pour some of the late harvest riesling I convinced Noah he wanted. It is the best wine in existence.

“Jared told me he was in love with me,” I spit out, needing to get it out there.

For the first time ever, Maddie doesn’t have a response. She looks at me without blinking, her jaw nearly grazing the floor.

“Yeah, and that’s not even the worst part.”

“You’re kidding,” she says, grabbing the glass from me.

I simply shake my head.

“After his drunk confession, he tried to kiss me. I obviously stopped that and tried to politely tell him I didn’t feel the same way.” Sucking in a breath, I continue, “He proceeded to tell me to find my own ride home, so I called Noah. You can assume what happened after that.”

“You didn’t...”

“I did, but I promise it wasn’t like that. I didn’t do it to spite Jared. It justsortof happened, and it wasn’t the first time.”

“What? When was the first time?” She thinks it through for a moment, eyes narrowing. “Oh my god, was it Fourth of July?”

My cheeks heat as I nod.

“Tell me about it now. Was it good?”

“You know that’s a dumb question,” I tell her.

“I know, but I want to hear it from the horse’s mouth!”

I decide to indulge her, not giving her exact details but letting her get the idea, and we sit there giggling and kicking our feet the entire time. It’s refreshing. Life has felt so heavy lately. Hanging out and gossiping with my girl best friend makes me feel like a person again.

Maddie leaves early the next morning. It’s Monday, and she has classes to attend, so I completely understand. She, however, doesn’t leave without the disclaimer that I have to do better at keeping her updated with my life. I agree and make it my mission to text her more often.

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