My heart stops, my old paranoia crashing back in.
Does Hadley know something she’s never told me?
Hadley must see the panic behind my eyes and hurries to clarify, her hands raised in front of her. “Not Heather directly,”she explains. “You remember the guy I hung out with from that group at the lake?”
My heart rate starts to slow, thankful that we don’t have to talk about the one thing that still makes me want to crawl into a hole and hide. “Yeah, I remember. Why?”
“Well… we’ve kept in touch, and he’s asked me out. He has family in the area and will be in town soon.”
I smile. “That’s awesome!” I push back from my desk and sit next to her on the bed. “I’m happy for you, Hads.”
She curls into me as I pull her into a side hug. She looks up at me, her brows furrowed. “You’re not upset?”
Now it’s my turn to furrow my brow. “Why would I be upset?”
“I thought you’d be pissed because he knows Heather. He’s Theo’s roommate at Atlantic Carolina.”
“He goes to the same college you’re going to?” I ask, surprised that it worked out like that.
Her cheeks flush pink as a small smile tugs at her lips. “Yeah, he’s going into his senior year. He’s pre-law.”
“Ohhh, fancy,” I tease, playfully knocking my shoulder into hers.
She laughs, grasping my hand, and angles herself so she’s facing me. “H-how are you and Cullen?” Her eyes flash with vulnerability, but she covers it with her bright smile.
“Hadley, we don’t have to talk about him,” I tell her. The last thing I want to do is make things weird between us again.
She sighs, looking down at our locked hands. “Hud, when was the last time we just talked? Like, really talked? Other than the hospital?”
The shift in topic throws me off a little, but I answer her anyway. “I honestly can’t remember.”
It hits me full force how far we’ve drifted apart. We used to be so close. The epitome of twins. Things changed when Hadley and Cull started dating and all my issues began.
“I-I want us to be able to be Haddie and Huddy again,” she admits, her voice so sad that it cracks my heart wide open. It’s been years since either of us referred to the other by our childhood nicknames. Mom and Dad used to claim that Haddie and Huddy were our alter egos because we always managed to get ourselves into trouble.
Hadley rests her head against my shoulder, her shuddering intake of air letting me know she’s fighting tears. I kiss the top of her head before gently resting my cheek against her hair. Her asking how Cull and I are doing is her way of bridging the gap that we’ve created. I know it probably hurts, but I want nothing more than to have my sister back.
I’m ready for all the bad shit to stay in the past.
“Cull and I are good.”
She huffs. “That’s all I’m going to get? Just good?”
“Trust me, Hads. You don’t want details.” I snort, her baby hairs tickling my nose.
She pulls away, her face scrunched. “I didn’t wantthosedetails. Although I can guess what it’s like… personal experience and all.” She smirks and fans herself, clearly trying to playfully push my buttons.
“Yup, okay. We’re done,” I laugh, hopping up from the bed, heat creeping up my cheeks.
Hadley falls back, her giggle infectious. “Okay, okay. I won’t pry.” She sits back up, smiling. “Hey, I have an idea.”
I straddle my computer chair and rest my arms across the back. “I’m all ears.”
“Why don’t we cook dinner for Mom and Dad? I think it would be nice to do something for them after… everything that’s happened.” She winces a little. The last few months have been rough for all of us.
“That’s a great idea,” I say, enthusiasm filling me. “I think we’ve probably been a little more Huddy and Haddie the last few months than we realized.”
She stands and follows me from my bedroom, laughing. “You’re probably right. We’ve not made anything easy for them.”
