Page 32 of False Start

“She met someone.” His voice is muffled by the mattress.

“She met someone?” I repeat to make sure I heard him right. How could she do that? They were happy...

“Yup.” He climbs up so his head is resting on my thigh, and I brush my hand through his hair. “She said she didn’t mean for it to happen, but that it shouldn’t have if we had what she thought we did.” He brings his hand up to his head again, “Ngh. I don’t think that made sense. My head hurts.”

“I’m sure it does. How much did you drink?”

“Don’t know. I took everything that was offered.”

Well, that’s... worrisome. “Do I really have to have a talk with you about safety? You can’t just take things if you don’t know what they are.”

“It was alcohol.”

“They could have spiked your drink. That’s dangerous.”

He just hugs my leg and groans. “My heart hurts. I’m all alone.”

I try to soothe him, dragging my fingers through his hair again. “Shh. You’re not alone. I’m here.”

He peers up at me through glassy, red eyes. “You look nice. Why do you look so nice?”

I laugh slightly at that. “Thanks, buddy.”

“You had a date. I ruined your date.” He lays his head back down on my leg, and I continue stroking his hair.

“Nah. It was pretty much over when you called.”

“Why’s that?” He sounds sleepy now as he snuggles against me, and I settle back against the wall, getting slightly more comfortable. His head resting in my lap.

“Eh, he was maybe a little too much like me. I don’t actually want to date myself.”

“Goodbye, Justin.” He doesn’t sound too broken up about it, but I can’t help but laugh at that.

“Yeah. He’s a nice guy but no chemistry.”

“Gotta have chemistry,” he mumbles, and I smile.

“I’m sorry about Van.”

“Me too. I didn’t see that one coming.”

I didn’t either. I spent the past four years trying to be totally fine with Vanessa and Vaughn eventually getting married, being endgame, and now they’re just broken up. I can’t seem to reconcile that in my brain at the moment.

“Hey, Austin?”

“Yeah?” I absently brush my hand through his hair, looking around his dorm room that has only this bed, and yet is still bigger than my dorm room. Fucking jocks.

“Are you still in love with me?”

Good. Lord.I look down and see he’s gazing up at me, his eyes curious. I have to assume it’s the alcohol that’s making him ask, even though he seems quite a bit more sober now than when he called two hours ago. “Does it matter?”

“You always matter to me.” He says it so effortlessly, making my heart kick up a beat.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever stop loving you, Vaughn.”

“I love you too, you know?” Goddammit. I can’t hear this. He snuggles into me, and before I know it, he’s snoring. Thank God. I know he meant he loves me as a friend, but it does dumb things to my insides when he says that.

It’s hard for my brain to separate the two things. And now... Vaughn is single for the first time in a long time. Not that it really matters, of course, but try telling my stupid heart that.

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