Page 56 of The History Between Us

What is happening?Are we in the twilight zone?

Conrad levels me with a look. “I didn’t miss the way you two kept eyeing each other at Max’s birthday party. Or the way you two came out of the house at the same time.”

I’m confused before it hits me… that’s the night we kissed in the bathroom.Fuck.“Why didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugs. “Figured if you wanted to talk about it, you’d bring it up. Not my place to butt into your business where I don’t belong.”

This is why Conrad is one of my closest friends, and always has been. He’s the most no-nonsense man and low-maintenance friend. He’s there when you need him without expectations. Growing up, he was always the most level-headed one out of the three of us, and I think it’s that same level-headedness I need right now.

“Well, I do,” I murmur, feeling nervous all over again. “Want to talk about it.”

“When did it start?” he asks before taking a drink from his water.

“The one-night stand happened about two years ago at a bar in Seattle, but it started back up again at Max’s party.”

Face stoic and unreadable, Conrad nods once. “I take it Max doesn’t know?”

“Absolutely not. You think you wouldn’t have heard it from him if he knew.” I chuckle, even though it’s not funny.

He nods, the ghost of a smirk on his face. “So what happened that made you want to tell me now?”

After taking a drink of my coffee, I set it on the table between us before saying, “Shooter walked in on us having sex almost two weeks ago.”

Conrad’s brows raise. “Damn.”

Huffing out a breath, I say, “Yeah, and then I panicked and stormed out of Colt’s house. He came over later that night, and we got into a pretty explosive fight where I said some shitty things.”

“Like what?”

“That he was ignorant and that my reputation in the community matters, so I can’t just be with whomever I want, regardless of what people think.”

“Ouch. Little harsh, don’t you think, Will?”

I rub a hand along my jaw, breathing out a sigh. “Yeah, I know. We haven’t talked to each other since, and it’s eating away at me.”

My words hang in the air for a moment, Conrad thoughtfully quiet before asking, “Do you have feelings for him?”

I take my time answering the question. Not because I’m unsure, but because the answer makes me uneasy—or I shouldsay, speaking it out loud makes me uneasy. Eventually, I nod. “Yeah, I think so. I tried to ignore it, tried to shove it down, like if I pretended it didn’t exist, I could make myself stop. Tried to tell myself it was just sex, and nothing more.”

Arching a brow, he asks, “Take it that didn’t work?”

Breathing out a laugh, I say, “It did not. The longer we go not talking, the more my skin crawls. But I also can’t ignore the concerns I have—the concerns I’ve always had.”

“Which are what?”

If anybody is going to understand this, it’s Conrad. Exhaling a heavy breath, I glance over at him. “He’s twenty-three, and I’m in my mid-forties, but more than that, I’ve known him since he was a baby, Conrad.”

Not an ounce of judgement on his face, he asks, “What did Colt say when you brought this up to him? Assuming you did.”

“I did,” I confirm. “He is convinced it doesn’t matter because we’re both adults now, and nothing started before he was twenty-one.”

“What do you need from me?” There must be a puzzled look on my face because he adds, “Do you need me to simply listen and let you get this off your chest, or do you want my opinion?”

I sit up straighter, maybe subconsciously preparing for him to tell me what an idiot I am. “I’d like your opinion.”

Conrad shrugs. “He’s not wrong.”

“But still, you don’t think it’s… I don’t know,wrongthat I’ve known him his entire life?”

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