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“There’s something… well…” He shook his head, stopped, then started again. “Something happened.”
Axel stood there numbly, a pizza crust dangling from one long arm. He wasn’t looking at us, though. He was staring down at his feet.
“It’s something bad,” he eventually continued. “Well, not bad. It’s good, actually. I mean, I think it’s good. I just want you to understand that I never intended—”
“Just spit it out, man,” Zane growled.
Axel finally glanced up, and I saw it in his eyes. I saw it before he even said it.
“I slept with Ariana.”
The words were big. Huge. Tremendous. They shattered the silence of the loft.
“It happened in that hotel,” he added quickly. “I guess the two of us were still shaken up from the accident. We were cold and alone, and without any clothes, and the storm was raging outside, and there was this bed, and…”
He kept talking faster and faster, as if getting the whole thing out quickly would somehow lessen the impact. It didn’t work.
“And I guess we just—“
“I slept with her too.”
Somehow, the words had just dropped from my lips. I’d said them aloud, without even thinking.
“Y—You did?” Axel breathed, somewhat relieved.
I nodded slowly. “It happened the night Lexus and I broke up. We… we just had these feelings for one another.”
The others were staring back at me now, utterly dumbstruck. Somehow I kept going.
“It’s not like these feelings just happened, either,” I attempted to explain. “It’s just… well, we’ve always been so close. Friends for so fucking long. And she was consoling me, and we just looked at each other, and, well…”
“You rolled with it,” Axel offered helpfully. His words were solemn. There was no judgment in them.
“Yes,” I nodded numbly.
At this point the both of us turned to face Zane. He’d risen from the chair and now stood there in his sleeveless T-shirt, chest puffed out, arms dangling. His hands were clenching and unclenching into fists.
Oh shit.
Zane walked up to me first, staring me right in the eyes. It was everything I could do not to look away.
“I’m sorry, bro.”
His brown eyes searched mine, all hard and dangerous, and bravely I looked back. I expected disappointment. Betrayal. Maybe even hurt.
Instead there was nothing, as he turned to regard Axel instead.
“You…”
Slowly he raised one clenched fist, not stopping until it was level with Axel’s chin. As I silently calculated what it would take to physically stop him, Zane made a quick punching motion, expecting our friend to flinch. He looked disappointed when he didn’t.
“Can’t do it,” Zane spat, much to my relief. His fist uncurled and he patted Axel on the cheek with an open hand. “Wouldn’t want to screw up something this pretty.”
Zane abandoned the computer and crossed over to the couch. He sighed heavily as he dropped into his spot.
“Can’t blame either of you, really,” he said. “Ari’s amazing, but she’s also beautiful. Especially after junior year, when she just sort of…”
“Blossomed?” Axel offered helpfully.
