Page 16 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

Rhys

I won’t stop trying. You can’t avoid this forever. I’ll always be there.

“Okay,” Mady says, flopping onto her stomach with a dramatic sigh. “Confession time. Let’s get into the juicy stuff. Someone here’s got boy drama, and if you don’t fill me in, I’m going to riot.”

All three of them turn and look at me.

I blink. “Why me?”

“Because you’ve been smiling at your phone like it whispered sweet nothings to you,” Yasmin says, reaching for another brownie. “And because you keep avoiding Rhys every time he walks into a room.”

Mady narrows her eyes. “Wait. Did something happen? With Rhys?”

I pause.

And… I’m blushing again.

“Oh my God,” Mady breathes. “Somethinghappened.”

I bury my face in the blanket. “Maybe.”

“Ally,” Yasmin says slowly as if she’s about to interrogate me for state secrets. “What. Did. You. Do?”

I peek out from under the blanket, my voice muffled. “We kissed.”

The room explodes.

Yasmin shrieks and throws a pillow in the air. Ella gasps like I just admitted to robbing a bank. Mady lets out a sound that is somewhere between a squeal and a war cry.

“Tell us everything,” Ella says, leaning forward like she’s about to take notes.

I sit up a little, my cheeks hot. “It was… ugh, it was good. It was really good.”

Mady fans herself with a throw pillow. “Was it, like, ‘gentle and sweet’ good or ‘grab the back of your neck and ruin your life’ good?”

I let out a laugh. “Somewhere in between. It was soft at first. Careful. Like he was making sure I didn’t change my mind. And then it got… intense. Like he’d been waiting. He found me at Grumpy’s with Justin and pulled me out into the alley.”

Ella exhales. “That boy is in love with you. You know that, right?”

My smile falters.

Yasmin notices. Of course, she does.

“Okay, what’s the problem?” she asks gently.

I wrap my arms around my knees. “It’s not him. Rhys is… He’s Rhys. He’s safe. And steady. And he knows me in a way no one else does.”

“But?” Ella prompts.

“But I don’t know how to do this,” I admit. “I don’t know how to be someone’s person. I’ve never done it. I’m scared I’ll mess it up. That I’ll hurt him. Or that he’ll realise I’m not worth the risk.”

The words feel heavy coming out but also freeing.

Mady nudges my foot with hers. “You’re allowed to be scared. But you don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re loyal as hell. You’re thoughtful. You’re honest—sometimes brutally. That’s all anyone can ask for.”

“Plus,” Yasmin adds, “Rhys is a goner. That boy would follow you into hell if you asked nicely. He’s not going anywhere.”

“But what if it ruins everything?” I question. “The group. Our friendship. This house.” It’s been playing through my head for days. I can’t lose my friends.

---