Page 10 of Setting Limits

“There are a million reasons I love her. What’s not to love? You’ve been friends almost your whole lives. You know her almost as well as I do.”

I’d like to argue that I know her better than he does, but I’m not sure that’s true anymore, a fact that’s been hard to accept. Plus, I know it won’t help my case.

“She’s kind, she’s smart, she loves to read, which I find incredibly attractive. She’s honest, most of the time. The only lie I think she’s ever told revolved around us keeping our relationship a secret. She took a whole year off from herdreamto help her mom. Not to mention, all the time she put in with her dad while also going to school.

“She has good taste in music, which I know you’ll disagree with, but you asked whyIlove her, not you. Her sense of humor may be beyond you, but I appreciate it.” He looks at me for a long, hard minute. “Shall I continue? Because I can.”

The wetness that threatens to fall from my eyes is betraying me. I wanted a wall, a strong one. I can’t help but notice he didn’t mention her looks. Still though, this is Lochlyn. He’s a good liar. I turn to Wes. For some reason, I value his opinion. What if Lochlyn’s just saying what he thinks I want to hear? I mean, any girl would want the guy she’s interested in to speak so highly of her. I know I do.

“Wes? What are your thoughts?”

His brows shoot up. I don’t think he was expecting me to ask his input. “Oh, uh, I’m not sure it’s my place.”

“No, go ahead, Wes. You’ve been here with me for weeks, and you were with me last year.” Lochlyn leans back into the couch, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee.

“All I’ll say is a reiteration of what I said earlier. He hasn’t been with or talked about any other girl since before last year. And I know of at least one that would show up in seconds if he asked. He’s always spoken very highly of Shay. It was clear he had strong feelings for her well before they got together.”

I nod, linking my fingers in my lap while I digest. Is Lochlyn being honest? Or is he missing her body? I know not believing him makes me come across as a bad person. But Lochlyn hasn’t had a girlfriend in years. I don’t want him to break Shay’s heart. Though, I’ve already done that by making her choose between us, by her choosing me in the end.

If I bring him back and he ends up breaking her heart again, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces.

“Okay. Lochlyn, get your keys. Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“To Shay.”

His eyes widen, and he’s on his feet in seconds, at the door before I’ve even stood up. “Let’s go.”

“Wes, thanks for your insight and help. I really appreciate it,” I say before walking toward Lochlyn.

“Any time. It was good to see you again, Chelsea.” I’m sure he’s just being nice, but my heart flutters all the same.

We’re silent on the drive over. Lochlyn knows where to go, since I shared our dorm information with him when we got it at the beginning of the summer.

When Shay answers the door, my heart falters and my breath catches. Her eyes are red rimmed and puffy. She’s pulling at the sleeves of her shirt. She can’t see me yet, but I can clearly see her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lochlyn’s entire body tense at the sight of her. It’s almost like he’s trying to stop himself from going to her, in addition to what I’m sure is pain, seeing her like this.

“Hey, Shay.” His voice is low and tight, and I know it’s killing him to not be holding her.

“What…what are you doing here?” Her voice holds nothing but astonishment.

“I told him to come.” I step out from the side of the doorframe. “I left to walk a little, to think about what I’d done, about why it bothered me for the two of you to be together. I had some things I needed to clear up first. You were right, Shay. I was wrong, I wassowrong.”

I pause, taking a hard swallow. Guilt has wrapped itself tightly around my chest and throat, squeezing more and more with each second. “I talked to Weston.”

“Wait, you talked to Weston?” she interrupts, her brows high on her face.

“Shh.” I need her to let me finish before I fall apart as remorse tries to break me down.

“I talked to Weston. And he told me that Lochlyn didn’t have a single girl at his place last year and was in his room every single night. That the only girl he saw with Loch or heard him even talk about…was you. So, I waited for Loch to get back from class, and I talked to him.”

She looks at Lochlyn, really, truly looks at him, for maybe the first time since she opened the door. I can see her body almost vibrating. How could I have been so blind to see what they have between them? I’m a horrible friend and sister. I don’t deserve either one of them. This is what I needed to do to make it right.

Taking a deep breath, I’m ready to continue. “I asked him how he feels about you. And he told me he loves you. Plain and simple, not a second of hesitation. I’ve never, ever, heard him say he loves anyone or anything, except that damn car.”

His brow furrows as he looks down at me. “Hey, it’s a good car, don’t kno—” Is he serious right now? I cut him off with a glare. “You’re right, sorry, continue.”

“So, after hearing that, I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting him to say that.” I heave a heavy sigh and look at the ceiling, trying to will the tears to go back before they escape. “I’m not super proud to admit this, but I honestly just thought he was saying that because he liked fucking you. I thought for sure he was here, living it up. When Weston repeated that he wasn’t, I figured he just really likes it with you. So, I asked why he loves you.”

---