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“Ya know, before Gabe, I really thought you and Noah were gonna end up together,” she says, and I nearly choke on my food.
“Me and Noah?”
“Yeah. You two were so close.”
“We were friends, but it was never anything more than that,” I tell her.
“Well, it could’ve been if you would’ve had the guts to tell him how you felt.”
I glare in her direction. “I was fifteen. I didn’t know what I felt.”
“Yeah, okay.” She rolls her eyes, knowing I’m full of shit. “I swear, you two were the only ones who didn’t know you both liked each other. Gemma kept pushing him to confess, but he kept chickening out.”
“Wait. What?”
She narrows her eyes as she folds her arms. “Noah liked you.”
“As a friend,” I confirm, trying to end the conversation, but she continues.
“Not from where I stood.” She smirks.
Noah and I were always only friends. He never gave any indication he liked me more than that. Everleigh continues to stare at me, smacking her lips as she pops a chip in her mouth.
“Noah didn’t protest or say a damn thing when Gabe asked me out. If he liked me, then why would he remain silent?” I challenge.
“Guess that’s something you’re gonna have to ask him.” Everleigh smirks like the smart-ass she is. “But I wasn’t the only one surprised to see you and Gabe get hitched.”
“We were together for three years before we got married, so why would that be a shock to anyone?”
“Because most of us saw how close you and Noah were. Don’t get me wrong, Gabe wasn’t a bad guy when you were dating, but I didn’t see that…connection. At least not in the way you had with Noah.” She shrugs, and my heart races.
“Noah and I knew each other for most of our lives, so of course we were close, but if anything was going to happen between us, it would’ve happened before Gabe moved to town.”
“Perhaps if you’d give him a chance to talk, you could ask him yourself. He sure has a lot of explainin’ to do.”
“He doesn’t deserve my time, Everleigh. I waited years for him to get the stick outta his ass, and he just expects me to accept him with open arms the day he gets released? Fuck that.”
“Hey, I’m all about making him grovel. That man better beg on his knees, but eventually…” She shrugs with a smirk. “Give him a second chance. Or at least five minutes of your time. Either way, he’s back, so you won’t be able to avoid him for long.”
I know she’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give in anytime soon. I don’t know how I really felt about him back when I was a teenager, but if he wanted to be more than just friends, why didn’t he say anything? I’m not sure how I would’ve responded, but it would’ve been nice knowing the truth.
“You’re overthinking right now, aren’t you?” Everleigh interrupts my spinning mind.
“No.”
The corner of her lips tilts up. “I’ve known you a long-ass time and know when you’re lying, so nice try.”
“So, who are you dating now?”
Everleigh scoffs at my subject change. “I wouldn’t call it dating per se…”
“Alright, who’re ya banging then?” I tease, sucking down the rest of my margarita.
“Well…there’s only one guy at the moment. I don’t double dick.”
I nearly choke. “Everleigh!”
“What? I’m just sayin’. One dick at a time. I mean, usually.”
We burst out laughing, the alcohol clearly taking over. At this rate, I’ll get nothing done at the house tonight, but it was totally worth it to spend time with her.
Chapter Four
NOAH
After settling back at home, I spent Sunday making a list of everything I needed to get done before my first day of work at the gym on Tuesday.
I eat breakfast with my dad, then we head to my truck that I’ve named Violet after the character in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie. When the remake came out, Katie and I watched it together for twenty-four hours straight. I haven’t watched TV in a long time, but I can still remember the lines word for word.
As he drives me to the DMV to renew my license, I look over and see Everleigh’s boutique. It’s not open this early, or I might’ve been tempted to go in and say hi. Surely, she doesn’t hate me. Well, no more than Katie anyway.
However, I need to focus on my to-do list: get a new license, buy some new clothes, get a cell phone, open a checking account, and meet with my parole officer. It’s surreal that I have to do these things. While I’m excited about my fresh start, I’m not looking forward to the inevitable stares and whispers. Tyler warned me about how he was treated when he returned, but I have a feeling it’ll be much worse for me.
