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“I’m so sorry!” Her fingers dragged along her cheeks. “I had no idea how late it was.”
Josh poured a cup of coffee and pushed it in her direction across the counter.
“Thanks,” she murmured, welcoming the cup of caffeine that would, with hope, cure the growing headache pounding in her brain.
“Did you guys have fun last night?” he asked.
The whine of the rusty hinges squeaked behind her as Austin opened the bedroom door and slid into the bathroom.
Josh snorted. “Never mind. I think that answers my question.”
“Oh, Casey!” Mavis slammed her bagel down on the counter, poppy seeds scattering left and right. “Please tell me you didn’t!”
“I didn’t!Wedidn’t! I swear!” Casey yanked at her leggings, pinching the fabric between her thumb and index finger. “I woke up completely clothed!”
The bathroom door opened, and Austin stepped down the hall with a grin. “I can’t say the same though, can I?” He elbowed her in the gut.
“Oh, come on Austin. Are you fucking kidding me?” Mavis rested her hands on her hips. “Really? You can’t keep your pants on around my best friend?” Her eyes narrowed, the green of her gaze X-raying them both.
Austin rolled his eyes and nodded toward his brother. “Lay off, Princess. You have no room to talk. I could say the exact same to you.”
Ouch.
“All right, that’s enough. Mavs—” Josh stood, his amused smile faltering fast.
“Uh-uh. Not yet. I need a moment alone with my belovedroommatefirst.”
Sneering at Austin, Mavis gripped Casey’s arm and pulled, tugging her into the privacy of her bedroom.
Casey’s stomach sloshed, each footstep inviting vomit to rise in her throat. With a groan, she fell back into bed and stuffed her head beneath the pillow. As she inhaled, the scent of Austin’s cologne settled in her nose.
“You don’t know what you’re doing, Case.”
Mavis’s butt sank to the bottom of the bed, her weight rocking the mattress and rattling the tiny number of still functioning brain cells powering through the hangover.
“What’s wrong with Austin?” she murmured through the pillow.
“Nothing’swrongwith him. I just need you to trust me on this. He’s not a good idea.”
Casey pulled her head free and squinted. “Look, you really don’t have to worry about it, okay? He’s not into me. You made sure of that.”
Mavis squeezed Casey’s foot and frowned. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that he’s still hung up on you.”
Gripping the charm on her necklace, Mavis tugged the heart along the length of the chain. “You know I never meant to hurt him,” she whispered.
“Yeah, well you did anyway.”
Her arms snaked around her body in a self-hug as her gaze fell to the floor. “You’re awfully quick to pick sides there, Case.”
What am I doing? Why am I fighting with you when you’re about to leave?
Sighing, Casey swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Battling the bass drum in her brain, she shifted to rest her head in Mavis’s lap. A curl fell on her face as her cheek met her best friend’s sweatpants. “I’m sorry. The last thing I want to do is fight with you right now.”
Mavis tugged the stray curl away, threading her fingers through her hair. “What am I gonna do without you?” Her voice quivered.
Pulling her head from her lap, Casey frowned. “You don’t need me. You never did. The real question is what I’m going to do withoutyou.” The last eight years of her life stared back at her. Her roommate. Her best friend. Her surrogate big sister. Always there to support and push her forward, the best cheerleader the world had to offer. And with each passing second, her foot stepped further and further out the door, ready to begin a new chapter in her life. “I hate that you’re leaving.”
