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I cough into my wine glass. ‘Excuse me? I am not obsessed.’

Tess scoffs softly, and I glance at her. She’s shaking her head, but there’s a small smile tugging at her lips. ‘You are so obsessed, Bryn.’

Elodie laughs, and I can’t help but grin. ‘Okay, okay, maybe a tiny bit,’ I admit, shrugging. ‘But can you blame me? He’s hot as hell.’

‘Don’t blame you at all,’ Elodie says. ‘So? Has anything happened?’

The table falls into silence, and my mind can’t help but drift to Ash and what we did in the maze. That stupid, infuriating, ridiculously distracting Ash, the boy who has haunted me since the moment we met. I relive the memory of last night: the way he hunted me through the maze, how he tasted on my tongue. I shake my head, trying to push it away before Elodie notices I’ve gone quiet.

‘Bryn?’ Elodie leans forward, looking far too eager. ‘Something has happened, hasn’t it?’

I shrug, hoping to look nonchalant. ‘Maybe.’

Tess raises an eyebrow and Elodie smirks, leaning back in her chair. ‘Go on.’

Heat burns at my cheeks as I relay a play by play of the night. Tess’s mouth hangs open in shock and Elodie’s smirk has widened to the point it looks a little creepy.

‘Wait. What?’ Tess says, shocked.

‘Oh, this is way better than I expected. Tell us everything, Bryn.’ Elodie claps her hands together, rocking back and forth on her chair.

Rolling my lips inward, I tap my fingers restlessly on the table. ‘There’s just one thing.’

The girls exchange a glance.

‘So, you remember Ash?’

Tess blinks. ‘Yes, we all remember Ash and that vile brother of his.’

‘No …’ Elodie trails off, eyes widening. ‘It’s not him, is it?’

Slowly, I nod.

Tess’s hand flies to her mouth. Elodie nearly chokes on her wine, leaning forward so quickly she knocks over her glass, crimson spreading all over the table. She quickly rights it and begins to dab at the stain with her napkin as a waitress rushes over to help. Once it’s cleaned, her eyes dart back to mine as she gapes at me.

I nod, my cheeks flaming hotter.

‘Wait, why are you entertaining it? He really hurt you and you cut him out of your life for good, right?’

Tess stares at me. ‘Yeah … why? After what he did?’

‘Ohhh, this is messy. I love messy. Spill, Bryn. What happened? You were mad at him, right? What changed?’

I glance between them, trying to measure their reactions. They clearly did not see this coming. Neither did I.

‘I don’t exactly know. One minute I think about all the things that happened, the next, it’s like none of them matter. I’ve missed him ever since he left my life and after loss after loss …’ I pause, the words getting stuck in my throat. ‘I don’t know. I got swept up in the fun of the haunted maze and the thrill of the chase. I haven’t thought much beyond that.’

The corner of Tess’s mouth drops as sympathy fills her expression. ‘I get that. You really loved him and you’ve never loved anyone like that since. It makes sense that he still has a hold over you.’

Elodie is nearly bursting with glee. ‘I think this is so hot. Him chasing you around, still obsessed after all this time. Like, have you seen those thirst traps?’ She waves her hand. ‘Can I look past his obsessive, stalker boy flaws?’ Tapping her finger against her chin, she sighs theatrically. ‘Pretty privilege is blinding.’

I shake my head, laughing despite myself. ‘I know I shouldn’t have ever gone there, but I’m like a moth to a flame when it comes to him.’

Tess leans back, rubbing her temples. ‘Bryn, I get the appeal, but you were so hurt by him. What he did was a betrayal and the other stuff was just damn creepy! You said he admitted to watching you sometimes, right? When you weren’t aware? He literally stalked you. Are you really willing to let him back into your life after all of that?’

Elodie, meanwhile, is grinning like she’s watching a live drama unfold, ignoring Tess, who is trying to be the reasonable one. ‘I mean, I’ll try to kick his ass if I ever see him again, but I still think it’s hot. For you.’

‘I don’t know …’ Tess trails off, looking uncomfortable. ‘He’s from a bad family, Bryn. I know that wasn’t his fault, but he and his brother are bad news. I think you need to be really cautious.’