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Her tone isn’t an accusation, but more something like hurt. It's as simple as the fact that she's my best friend. Not telling her probably felt like I was cutting her out or pushing her away, and I would never.
“I just didn't want you to look at him differently,” I answer honestly. “He's your brother.”
Lifting her head, she turns to look at me. “And you're my sister.”
I cringe. “That sounds incestuous.”
“Don't be gross.” She lightly smacks my arm. “No more secrets.”
“No more secrets,” I promise.
I WALK THROUGH CAMPUSwith a forced smile plastered across my face. Hanging out with Amelia on Sunday helped a little, but it didn't do nearly enough for my psyche. Therefore, I'm taking a new route. A fake it ‘til you make it plan of sorts. I'm going to pretend I'm happy and fine without him, until I really am.
I'm turning the corner to head to class when I stop dead in my tracks. I was hoping luck would be on my side today. That I could go to my lectures, pretend to laugh, and make it back to my dorm without incident. But as I stand here, frozen in place and watching as Easton leans up against the brick wall while talking to Zayn, I realize it's not going to be like that at all.
A sharp pain slices through my chest when I realize I still get the familiar urge to go to him. But then I remember how even after I left him, he still went to Tessa, and just like that, I'm stone cold once again.
“Kennedy?” a voice calls. “Is that you?”
I turn around to see who it is and my jaw drops. “Alec?”
“Holy shit! How are you?”
Alec is an old friend and former neighbor. We spent years living next door to each other, and our mothers used to joke about us ending up together. It wasn't exactly a bad idea. He's always been attractive, with his dark blond hair and emerald eyes. It's just that nothing ever became of it. I honestly thought I would never see him again after my parents moved away, but here he is.
“Been better, been worse,” I answer. “What are you doing here?”
He smiles the same way he always has, in a way that stretches across his whole face. “I transferred in January for the second semester. Arizona was just not my kind of place.”
“Well, I didn't think it would be. Then again, I didn't think my parents would like it in Texas, either.”
Throwing his head back, a deep chuckle emits from the back of his throat. “Only you would choose a college close to home, only to have your family to move over a thousand miles away.”
“I know. It's like they ditched me and ran.”
The sound of laughter behind me grabs my attention, and before I can stop myself, I glance back to find Easton joking around with Zayn. His gaze locks with mine until he tears it away. He looks Alec up and down as if sizing him up and then goes back to his conversation—grinning like he's the happiest he's ever been.
“Friend of yours?” Alec asks.
I turn back to him and run my fingers through my hair. “He's my ex.”
“Ah.” He nods. “That would explain why he keeps looking over here like he wants to set me on fire and roast marshmallows over my corpse.”
“Ugh!” Rolling my eyes, I put a hand on my hip. “He doesn't get to act all possessive over me. I'm not his anymore, and you and I are childhood friends!”
“Easy, killer,” he quips. “You've got a lot of built-up frustration.”
“You have no idea.”
His brows raise at my answer. “If you're up for it, I could help you with that.”
“I'm not sleeping with you, if that's what you mean.” Maybe it's a little blunt, but rip the Band-Aid off and all that.
Alec chokes on air and starts coughing. “No. That's definitely not what I mean. This is something a little more dangerous, and a lot more clothed.”
Sparing one last glance at Easton, he doesn't even try to hide the fact that he's watching me. It's then that I make a split second decision.
“Yeah, fuck it. I'll give it a shot.”
