Madison just shrugs. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s in a dire state. He hasn't seen Honey in months. He was drafted in that time and is about to start a completely new life in Rome, yet all he could talk about was her.”
He talked about me?
Ugh. That shouldn’t make my heart skip as much as it does.
“And when he wasn't talking about her, he was asking me every question possible about her.” She shakes her head, rolling her eyes to look at the ceiling as she puts on a deep man’s voice. “Do you know if she’s bringing anyone to the wedding? Has she gone to any hockey games recently? Did Tiff mention anything about where she is?”
When she’s finished, her shoulders slump and she looks at me sympathetically. “I mean, the man is so in love with you, it’s almost creepy. Did you know he has a honeycomb tattoo? He got atattoodedicated to you, Honey.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Honestly, I thought Dash was obsessed with me when he broke my ex's nose, but that's got nothing on you. He inked himself for youafteryou broke up. It'd be sweet if it weren't so obsessive.”
My stomach flips, but I tamp down my reaction. I can’t go there. Going back to him feels like the easy way out. Sure, it will feel good in the moment, but I’ll still have the gaping hole in my chest, reminding me that I took an entire semester off from college for no reason, and I still don’t know what the hell I want.
“Have you seen Zach yet?” Madison asks, not letting this go.
Cara’s hands pause in my hair.
She’s listening, waiting for my answer, much like everyone else in the room except Ella.
I squirm.
There's no other word for it. I physically squirm in the chair. My hands grip the armrests; my face is going hot in a way that has nothing to do with the heat from Cara's styling tools.
“I—” The words get stuck in my throat. “Not yet.”
Smooth, Honey. Really smooth.
Madison leans forward, her focus entirely on me. “Are you okay? Like, actually, okay? Because you look like you're about to pass out.”
“I'm fine,” I lie, and it's such an obvious one that I bet even Ella would call me out on it if she weren't so absorbed in her unicorn coloring book and music.
“You're not fine,” Madison presses, gentler now. “And that's okay. You don't have to be.” She stands, crossing to where I'm sitting, and kneels down so we're eye level. “Look, I get it. Breakups suck, but this isn’t just any breakup. This isZach.He’s your lobster.”
Is he?
Or maybe that stupid high school bet made him feel responsible for me, and he never stopped trying to save the girl he knew before the fame found him.
“All I'm saying is the guy's been miserable without you. Everyone can see it. And you.” She gestures at me. “No offense, but you look like you haven't slept in weeks. So maybe, you two should actuallytalkinstead of doing this whole tragic star-crossed lovers thing.”
“We're not—” I start, but my voice cracks, and suddenly I can't finish the sentence.
We're not tragic or star-crossed.
We're just... broken, and I don't know how to fix it, or if I even want to.
Cara clears her throat. “Should I... give you all a minute?”
“No,” I say quickly. Too quickly. I blink fast enough for the tears to wash away before anyone can see them. “Please. Keep going. I want my hair to look perfect.”
Perfect.
Because that's the only thing about me that might keep me together today.
Tiff adjusts her veil for what has to be the hundredth time, taking a long breath as she smooths down her silky white gown, and pretends her hands aren’t shaking.
She might be nervous, but she’s beautiful and radiating happiness.
So much so that it makes my chest physically ache.
My cousin. Myfamily.One of the three girls I’d fight a war for is about to get married.
