Page 117 of More than Friends

None of us moves for a full minute and then James stands up, “I’m going to talk with Elizabeth.”

Once he leaves, Will looks over at me like he wants to say something, but doesn’t.

“What?” I snap. “Just spit it out.”

He shrugs, “I get it.”

I tilt my head to the side. That’s not what I was expecting to hear. I was expecting a lecture. “What?”

He runs his hands through his hair. “I mean you’ve been friends for years, and she wanted a baby. I’d do the same thing. It’s dumb. It’s a terrible decision, but...”

He pauses, lets out a loud sigh, and then continues, “I saw the two of you in the park that day. I saw how devastated she was. She was upset because she thought she couldn’t get pregnant, right?”

I nod and he says, “I get it.”

“I couldn’t say no to her,” I say.

“Right.”

I look down at my hands for a minute and then he says, “Do you have feelings for her?”

I pause considering this. My stomach is in knots. “It doesn’t matter. Neither of us wants anything committed.”

He grunts, and I turn my eyes up to him, “You’re pretty committed now.”

“It’s not what she wants.” I wave toward the door. “Clearly.”

“Would it be something you’d want?” he asks.

I tip my head back. “Like I said, it doesn’t even matter. She’s made it really clear how she feels.”

Chapter Forty-Four

Maggie

Elizabeth leads meinto a room and motions for me to sit on the couch. James does the same with Declan. We’re sitting as far apart on the couch as possible, facing the others. I feel like we’re teenagers, and we’re about to be grounded. Zadie, Celeste, Elizabeth, Will, and James are huddled on the other side of the room. “The grownups.” I don’t dare look at Declan; instead I face forward and fantasize about ripping his eyeballs out.

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