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“Mali?” he replies, and I nod. “I mean, she looks like it to me, but you know her better than anyone.”
“I know I do, and I can’t shake this feeling in my gut like I should be worried about her. Iamworried about her. Last night was…intense.”
He exhales slowly, pulling me in for a hug. “You’re allowed to be worried. She’s your best friend, and she went through something that has the power to change her. But Mali is one of the strongest people I know. I don’t see her letting herself be a victim.”
That’s definitely all true, but I still feel uneasy about it. “I just want her to be all right.”
“She will be,” he promises. “And in the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on her. Though personally, if I were Isaac, I’d be afraid of running into her while she’s sober. That girl is ruthless.”
I chuckle because he’s right.
But there will be no sympathy from me for anything that happens to him.
ONE OF THE BESTparts of not having to hide anymore is being able to enjoy these bonfires while sitting on Hayes’s lap. Sure, Cam had some complaints about it at first, whining like the child he is, but he got over it. Everyone else, however, keeps looking at us like we’re some kind of circus act. And feeling like we’re in a fishbowl isn’t exactly pleasant.
“I still can’t believe you two are together,” Owen says.
Lucas obviously isn’t too happy about it as he grumblesfucking bullshitunder his breath.
“I’m still trying to figure out how long it was going on. How the hell did this even happen?” Aiden questions.
My lips press together in a thin line as Cam sarcastically looks at Hayes. “Yes, H. Tell me. Howdidyou end up corrupting my innocent little sister?”
“Innocent?” Hayes scoffs. “She’s practically corruptedmeat this point.”
Mali snorts, knowing everything that’s gone on in the last couple months, but something tells me Cam isn’t looking for the dirty details. He’s only looking to find out when it started so he can bitch again about how long we hid it from him.
Cam cringes. “Gross. I did not need to know that.”
“You started it,” Hayes quips. “But it was when I kissed her in front of Craig that shit changed a little. It didn’t become a thing until I got kicked out of that hockey game, though.”
“I fucking knew it!” Aiden shouts, putting his hand out to Owen. “Pay up, motherfucker.”
“A bet? Really?” I deadpan.
Owen rolls his eyes as he passes Aiden a twenty and Aiden’s grin widens. “I called that shit. Hayes doesn’t give his jersey toanyone. I don’t give a shit who you are.”
Cam doesn’t look impressed, or even slightly amused, but I think with the shock of it wearing off, he’s becoming more accepting of it. At least, I hope he is.
“So, when you came over to talk about Laiken a month ago…” he starts.
Hayes finishes it for him with a nod. “I was trying to tell you.”
My head whips toward him. “That’s news to me.”
If I had known that he was even considering telling Cam about us, I don’t think I ever would have turned him down when he tried to get me back. There are no words to explain how badly I wanted to just fall right back into his arms. But I knew the pain I felt when he left all too well at that point, and I couldn’t risk going through that again.
Instead of responding, he smiles sadly and half-shrugs. I know him well enough to know what’s going through his mind right now. He’s thinking about how hedidn’ttell Cam and how he left me instead. But none of that matters now because we got here eventually.
I put my hand over his and tap my thumb three times.
I. Love. You.
He smiles as he exhales and does four back on my leg.
I. Love. You. Too.
There are parts of our relationship we’ll let others see, but there are some things we just want to keep to ourselves. To keep hidden and protected from everyone else. It’s ours, and it’s sacred.
