Page 100 of I Can't Help It

Tell. Him.

“Well, you know what they say about exes.” I offer a dry laugh as we get closer to the stairs. “Exes are exes for a reason, right?”

He doesn’t seem convinced. “Yeah, but that’s usually if the relationship was toxic or something, and ours wasn’t.”

TELL. HIM.

“And besides,” he continues to speak, “seeing her again like this might be a sign. Maybe you could talk to her for me and find out some intel. I’m sure that if she wants me back—”

“She doesn’t want you back!” I exclaim, unable to stop myself. “Ava’s already interested in someone else!”

Ready or not, here we go…

“Ava told you that she was interested in someone else? Did she say who?”

Me. She’s interested in me.

“She did,” I say instead, still trying to delay the inevitable. “She did tell me who she’s interested in, and it’s actually kind of funny in a way.”

It’s not.

I don’t think it’s funny, but Ava seemed positive that Wyatt would find the whole thing humorous, so we’re going with that approach.

“Really?” Curiosity flickers in his eyes as he crosses his arms. “Why would it be funny?”

“Because...”

“Because?”

“Because—” I curse before tossing a hand up. “Because she’s interested in me, Wy. Ava likes me, and I’m crazy about her. I tried not to fall for her since she’s your ex, but it happened anyway. I know I’m a crappy friend, and I know that I should’ve—”

“Well, it took you long enough,” he says with a scoff. “I thought you’d never admit to having feelings for Ava.”

What the—

I stare blankly at him. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“Luke, give me some credit, I’m not a complete idiot.” He shakes his head. “You didn’t tell me that you were doing this on-site visit with Ava, so I knew something was going on when I found out that you guys were both here together.”

“Colton changed the plan though. Originally, it was just going to be me—”

“And then I noticed how you acted whenever I talked about her or whenever I was around her,” he says, ignoring my babbling. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you get jealous over a girl, and yet—you still didn’t tell me anything. So, I was forced to take matters into my own hands.”

“Wyatt—”

“I made sure that I was extra friendly toward Ava, just to see if it would nudge you in the right direction, but you gave me nothing. Zilch. Nada.” He glares at me. “How could you keep this from me, dude? We’re best friends, for crying out loud! I’d like to think that I deserve to know if you’ve got the hots for my ex.”

“I didn’t know how to tell you!” I reply, exasperation getting the best of me. “Especially since you want her back? What the heck was I supposed to say?”

He rolls his eyes. “Oh my gosh, Tanner. I don’t want Ava back.”

“What?” I look at him like he’s insane. “Of course you do! We just had a whole conversation about second chances! And you asked me if she talked about you, remember?”

“That was just another attempt to get a confession out of you,” he verbally waves me off. “I had my doubts, but obviously it worked.”

There’s no way he’s telling the truth right now.

“But—but what about when you asked me about Ava before this work trip? When you wanted to know if she was dating and everything?”

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