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Tomorrow, when we get to Charleston, I’m going to talk to Aaron. Maybe I should do it tonight, but today has been too emotionally charged. I need to breathe a little, keep working through all of this, and then tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
The beach. Charleston. Us.Magic.
Or actually doing things right for a change.
Finally.
I open my eyes again, letting the few tears of relief fall from my eyes.
Knuckles rapping against my car window make me jump off my seat.
“Sorry,” a muffled voice says through the window.
After a quick glance, I wipe my cheeks, throw my door open, and climb out. “Braden?” I ask, staring at Braden Hale. He’s a friend—ish. He’s Nick’s best friend, and our groups have always run together, though Braden and I have never been friends on our own.
He rubs the back of his neck and chuckles. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just saw you sitting in there and you looked—I don’t know exactly, but I know I’ve felt how you looked, so I thought I’d check on you.”
“Oh. Yeah. I’m just figuring my shit out… or attempting to,” I say, leaning against my car door. “I appreciate you checking, though.”
He nods as he leans against my back door and looks at me. “I’ve been through a lot of figuring things out—some days I still am. I’m around if you ever need to talk.”
“Thanks.”
“All this figuring out… does it have anything to do with Aaron?”
I give him a wry smile. “Everyone in this whole town knows, don’t they?”
He laughs at that. “You two have never been subtle. Kinda like Nick and Leigh.”
“Yeah. We’ve taken everyone on a nice rollercoaster ride, I’m sure.”
“You’re still not together?”
I tilt my head back and forth. A swell of pride forms in me because my insides say we are. I’m committed to us, and I’m never going back again. “Working on it. Apparently, falling in love with your best friend isn’t always easy. It’s weird how bad we’ve been at trusting each other and talking to each other.”
His head bobs up and down, then he looks up at the sky. “I get that. Maia and I sure as hell weren’t good at it—not that I think you and Aaron are like Maia and me. You guys have always been meant for each other. But we learned the hard way that when you fall for someone you’ve known your whole life, sometimes you assume you know how to communicate when you don’t. When the relationship changes, in whatever way, your communication has to change, too. Everything changes. You’d think it shouldn’t if you’re such good friends, but romantic relationships and friendships need different things to grow and thrive. Committing to learning those things will make your relationship stronger.” He grimaces. “Jesus Christ, I sound like a self-help book.”
Laughing, I elbow his ribs. “Maybe. But I think you’re right.”
“That’s once, I guess.”
“You should be proud of how far you’ve come,” I say quietly.
“It only took me fucking up my life to get there. If I can give you any advice, it’s to not run from the people who love you. I did that for too long, and look where it got me.”
He takes in my wide eyes and smiles. “You know, Nick says you’re like Maia. Maia says you’re like Nick. But by the look in your eyes, it’s the two of us who are kindred spirits.”
I chuckle at that. “I am good at running. Hiding. Pretending I’m okay when I’m not.”
“Hey, three out of three ain’t bad.”
We both laugh, then look up at the sky, quiet for a moment.
“For whatever it’s worth, I think you and Aaron have what it takes to make it through.”
I smile at that. “I know we do. Just time to put it all on the line.” My eyes drift back to him as I stand up straight. “Thanks for the advice, Brade.”
