Page 71 of Official

We’ve arrived at the pool now, and he keeps his back to me while he stares at the water.

After another long and tense pause, he whirls around and points a finger at me. “Cut the shit, okay?”

I hold my arms out and drop any charade I was stupid enough to attempt in the first place. “Let me explain.”

“I don’t need the details. I just need to know one thing.” His intense gaze on me is unwavering, and I brace myself.

Because I’m definitely going to die today, and the last time I spoke to my mother was a week ago when I told her to behave at some fancy fashion designer’s party like she’s a teenager.

My final words altogether will be “Let me explain,” which was a lie to begin with. How would I actually explain when I, myself, am confused about Sam?

“Do you love her?” Teddy asks.

I do a double take. “What?”

“Do you love Sam? You know—my fuckingsister.”

“What did she tell you?” I whisper.

“She didn’t have to tell me anything.” He frowns as he studies me like I’m some problem to solve. The pity mixed with rage in his eyes is unmistakable, and it only makes me feel worse for lying to him. “I know what happened in Maui. I know the pictures online weren’t faked. You’re a good writer, but there’s a reason you never get in front of the camera. It’s because you can’t act worth a shit, and you can never hide what you’re feeling. Those pictures were very real.” He takes a few menacing steps toward me. “If those weren’t proof enough, you’ve been irritatingly squirrely since you got back, and you couldn’t stop mooning over her last night.”

I try to catch my breath as he continues talking, his words enunciated and rushed. It’s like we’re in a courtroom drama, and the lawyer is giving closing statements to nail whatever son of a bitch he’s after.

And he’s got me up against a wall, all right.

“So, I’ll ask again.” He softens his stern expression a fraction, but it’s not enough to ease the tension in my entire body, especially when he repeats, “Do you love her?”

I run both hands over my head and let out a rough exhale, eyeing the unfinished beer on the table next to my chair.

I need a damn drink.

“That’s what I suspected,” he says. “You haven’t told her, have you?”

“Teddy, I want you to know that I didn’t plan for anything to happen between us,” I start, then sidestep him toward the pool. “Sam is just so infuriating. And strong-willed. And gorgeous. It was fucking Maui, and I wasn’t thinking. I crossed a line, and I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine and all—and I might even believe that you’re sorry—but I don’t care about any of it.”

“You don’t?” I blink. Did I hear him correctly? There’s no way he said he didn’t care.

“What I care about is the fact that you hurt my sister.” His lips form a grim, tight line, and my palms sweat worse than if I were literally on trial. “Let me guess—whatever was going on between you two ended when you got back because you two didn’t talk about your feelings.”

I give him a small nod as he comes to stand beside me, and our reflections in the water stare back at us.

We’ve been friends for the last three years.

He’s a better friend to me than the ones I’ve had since high school, and Teddy’s definitely the one I respect the most out of all those sons of bitches.

I’ve let him down in more ways than one.

I shake my head. “She doesn’t know what she wants beyond a flawless online presence.”

“It is her business, though. How she makes a living. I might not always understand it, but it’s what she loves. She’s dedicated her life to it, and I’m proud of her for putting one hundred percent into it.” He smirks, his sarcasm seeping into the conversation in true Teddy fashion when he says, “In any case, it’s how she’s able to keep being an adult, something neither of you are acting like at the moment.”

“I get that, asshole.” I shove him to the side. “But it’s more than that. She’s afraid to let people see her imperfections, and I know that’s part of social media these days. Followers want to see shiny pictures and videos of her doing cool things in and out of the gym, but…”

He glances over at me expectantly.

I sigh. “I’m not a fucking follower. I’m what’s real and right in front of her, and I don’t think she can be the same with me. She hasn’t even told the world that she and I aren’t together, like she told me she would. Sam called me a coward, but I think she had it backwards.” He dips his head, and instantly, I clamp my mouth shut. “Shit, man. I know this is your sister, and I didn’t mean any disrespect—”

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