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“Well, just let us know what you need.” Sarah gave me a big smile.

“Thank you. You guys really are the best.”

“We know,” Bree said with a smirk.

“And modest,” I teased back to her. “Definitely modest.”

“We know that too,” Sarah said as the three of us started laughing.

I seriously loved my girls. I was incredibly conflicted about what to do with Mason and Liam, but I felt way better knowing that, no matter what happened, my girls had my back.

Chapter 16

Hi. This Is Anna.

IT HAD BEEN A few days since my talk with Bree and Sarah. The conversation weighed heavily on my mind as I tried to sort out what to do. It seemed like the more I thought about it, the more confused I got about what to do and what it was I really wanted.

Liam and I were supposed to go out the night following my conversation with Bree and Sarah, but he got “in a zone” working on his latest painting and had called to reschedule our date. On the one hand, it was good because it gave me more time to think and really weigh out what I was going to do. On the other hand, it was bad because it gave me more time to think, which just led to more of the aforementioned confusion.

When it was finally the night for our rescheduled date, Liam and I sat across from each other at a pub-style restaurant a few blocks off campus. “Did you get your painting finished?” I asked as I took a drink of my beer.

“I did,” he said with a mischievous smile.

“That’s all I get? That you finished it?” Liam laughed as I twisted my face into an exaggerated scowl. “Am I at least going to get to see it?”

Liam set his beer down carefully on his coaster before looking at me. “At the Spring Art Show.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow. “You’re being awfully mysterious about this painting, sir.”

Liam looked down at the table again as he drew small circles with his finger on the wood. “I think you’re going to like it. I can’t wait for you to see it, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

“Well, I can’t wait,” I told Liam earnestly. I really couldn’t. Liam was such a talented artist and he’d been so tight-lipped about his most recent project, I knew it had to be something spectacular.

I reached for my pint of beer to take another drink when I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket. I mentally kicked myself for not sliding it into my purse as I’d intended and ignored the message.

“What are your plans for the weekend?”

“I’m going to…” I felt my phone buzz again. Damn, that was distracting. “I’m going to get caught up on some homework. Nothing too glamorous.” I awkwardly smiled at Liam as I felt my phone buzz a third time. “Liam, can you excuse me for a few minutes, please? I need to use the restroom.”

“No problem.” Liam gave me a sweet smile as I slid out of the booth and started walking to the back of the restaurant.

As soon as I was sure I was out of sight of our table, I pulled the phone out of my back pocket. My plan was to check the messages and make sure there was no emergency, then turn the damn thing off for the rest of dinner. As soon as I saw the three messages from Mason, I knew that plan was going out the window.

“Hey…you around tonight? I was hoping we could talk.”

“Can I give you a call later? I haven’t heard much from you the past few days and I want to make sure you’re OK. I’m worried about you.”

“I hope the fact you’re not answering means you’re not around. I hope it doesn’t mean you’re upset at me or something happened. Call or text me when you can. I miss you.”

Dammit.

I walked into the bathroom and sat down on a closed toilet seat in one of the stalls. I stared at my phone for a moment as I contemplated what to say. I decided to keep it brief. “Sorry, I’ve had some stuff on my mind.”

“Good to hear from you, Anna. I’ve missed talking to you.” I smiled at Mason’s message. I hadn’t been talking to him as much over the past few days and hadn’t really given him any kind of explanation, which was pretty lame on my part. Truth was, any conversations with Mason just contributed significantly to my overall confusion about the whole situation and what I was going to do.

My phone vibrated with a second incoming message from Mason. “Any way I can help with whatever is weighing on your mind?”

You. You’re what is weighing on my mind. You and Liam and what the fuck I’m supposed to do about everything. I rubbed my hand down my face and took a deep breath. “Thank you, Mason. I appreciate it, but I need to figure this out myself.”

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