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Prologue
Andy
Two years ago
“Will you just stop and talk to me for a minute?”
My hand is clutched around Jessa’s bare arm, desperate for her to ease into my touch but instead, her muscles tense.
Inside my heated grip, she lowers her head to avoid my persistent stare while her chest rises and falls beneath the ivory laced dress she’s wearing. Jessa’s signature bronze curls fall to the side as she continues to remain silent. So much of me aches to reach out and tug on a strand, just as I have done a million times before. She hated it with a passion, even though I loved it.
But that was in the past when we were the best of friends, and when we couldn’t go a day without talking to each other.
Then—it all changed between us.
I silently plead with her to look me in the eye, but the longer we stand here, the more she retreats. Almost as if she can’t stand to be next to me.
“What would you like me to say?” Jessa questions in a dull tone.
I let go of her arm, running my hands through my hair in frustration. No matter how it plays in my mind, I don’t understand how we got here. How two people who have been in each other’s lives since they were kids can stand here unable to communicate maturely.
“How about you begin with the truth? Why you left home.”
Around us, the music is blaring as Eric insists on going back to an era I don’t care for. However, the oldies seem to enjoy it, laughing while drinking copious amounts of alcohol. My mother is the worst offender, singing out loud to then accidentally spilling her glass of red wine all over Eric’s patent white leather shoes.
I wait for Eric’s dramatic outburst, but he’s so far gone even to notice.
If anyone was going to throw a party like this, of course, it had to be Ava. Given it’s her wedding day, our families are having the time of their lives. Most of them are drunk or in a food coma from the banquet served at dinner.
As usual, the only one who appears to be in control is Uncle Lex. Somehow, he got babysitting duty, though it looks like he’s enjoying his time with Ashton and Emmy.
Everyone is in the best of spirits, adding to the occasion of it being New Year’s Eve.
All but the person with a massive chip on her shoulder.
“God, Andy.” Jessa throws her hands up in the air. “Why do we have to go over this? I left because I wanted more. Believe it or not, there’s more than just LA.”
I cross my arms in defiance. “Yeah, I know, that’s why I moved to Manhattan.”
“Exactly, you moved away, so why is it a problem that I did too?”
How can I tell her the problem is how she left? We had a big fight, and the next minute, she packed her bags to rediscover herself supposedly. Jessa didn’t care how I felt about her, despite trying to communicate my feelings. Instead, when I found the courage to say anything, she pushed me away before I could even get my words out like she sensed what I was going to say before I said it.
“God, Jessa!” I yell, then bite down to control my anger, cautious of our family overhearing. “You walked away from us like we were nothing. Then you don’t talk to me for months, and suddenly, you’re back? Oh, but let’s not forget that I found out you were engaged to be married through Alexa, of all people.”
Slowly, her gaze lifts until her eyes meet mine. For the longest time, the light hazel orbs brought me comfort, laughter, and a sense of security in a world full of uncertainty.
But now, they belong to a stranger.
“I wanted to tell you in person,” she admits, her voice low. “But it didn’t seem right to call you out of the blue and announce such a thing.”
All this hurts more than I care to admit. The pain runs deep, but I suppress it like everything else I can’t control—my biological father’s death and the dreams which still plague me when I see his face even though I never knew him. According to Mom, we only had ten days together, and in those days, he managed to hold me only once. His fragile body was too far deteriorated even to cradle a newborn baby.
The only person I ever confided in about these dreams was the very person standing in front of me. The only person I trusted with these thoughts of mine.
There’s no changing Jessa’s mind. She ran away and fell in love with some British man who, according to Alexa, is the perfect prince charming—rich and handsome.
The same kind of guy Jessa and I would make fun of all the time.
