Page 26 of The Fangirl and the Playboy

Why does that make me feel like an assholeandmake my insides melt at the same time? I shake my head roughly.

“Get it together, Willow,” I mumble, my thumbs flying across the screen.

Me:Good. It’s settled, then. Trace and Keegan are hosting our weekly dinner tomorrow night at the house. You should come. Dinner’s at 7.

I hit send before I wuss out and delete that last bit. If we’re going to be friends, we should be able to share a meal without it being uncomfortable. And Gavin has a working relationship, if not a real friendship, with Keegan, so it won’t be weird.

Gavin:Are you sure? It won’t be weird?

I smile at that, then a quiet chuckle bursts through my lips. He’s reading my mind like he did back then, like no time has passed at all.

Me:I’m sure.

Gavin: They might figure out we have a past.

Me: Well, Keegan already dragged the story out of me, though she promised not to tell Trace. If he figures it out, oh well. We’re all adults, now.

Gavin: True, but your brother is kind of scary.

Me: *laughing face emoji* You should’ve seen him before he fell for Keegan. He was downright terrifying.

Gavin: Wait. When did you tell Keegan? Before our conversation today?

Me: Yeah. She and Pressley cornered me at the shop after our day at the lake. They knew something was up between us after the way I acted toward you, and I had to tell them.

Gavin: I understand, and I hope you’re right. Otherwise, your scary ass brother thinks I trifled with his baby sister and broke her heart by cheating on her with my co-star. He’s going to murder me. You know that, right?

Me: Relax. She promised not to tell him, so she won’t. We can trust her.

A few beats pass, then another text comes through.

Gavin:Maybe we should just do it. Tell Trace the truth, I mean.

A shock ripples through me, my face incredulous as I type back. I know I talked a big game about being adults and it being no big deal if Trace figured it out, but to outright admit everything?

Me:Why would we do that?

Gavin: Because if we’re truly going to start over, the slate should be completely clean. No secrets, no lies, no hiding anything from anyone.

I reply back that I’ll think about it, and our conversation ends with a couple of perfunctory “good nights.” Leaning back against the couch cushions, I try to imagine Trace’s reaction to finding out about Gavin and me. He was in his late twenties back then, more a father figure than a brother even when Grandpa was still alive. He would’ve lost his shit to find out I was kissing any boy, much less one two years my senior and a legal adult.

But now? Could he accept it and leave the past in the past? Or would he lose his shit and actually try to murder Gavin?

“No,” I whisper, shaking my head.

He wouldn’t murder him, but he might hold it against him and ruin the good thing Keegan has going with Gavin, Pressley, and the BingBang influencer business. At the very least, he’d be disappointed inmefor lying to him back then and continuing to lie, by omission, in all the years that have passed.

I don’t know what to do. I’ll just have to decide tomorrow, in the moment, how much I want to reveal to my brother.

And hope that if I do tell him, he won’t lose his shit, completely.

ChapterFourteen

Gavin

Ipull into the driveway at six-fifty-five, and the sight of the house fills me with memories like it does every time I approach. Filming here with the cast and crew all those years ago, walking the halls and climbing up the façade to the second-story so “Lucas” could sneak into “Aria’s” window. Then later, climbing up again to see Willow.

Which leads to thoughts of the last time I saw her at the motel, begging her to hear me out before she shut down completely and slammed the door in my face.

---