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“I won’t say a word. Did Kat’s mom say when Josh will pop the question to Kat?”
“He doesn’t know yet. He asked for Kat’s parents’ blessing tonight. I think that’s as far as he’s gotten in his planning.”
“Oh my god. Kat’s going to be so happy.”
“You can’t tell her.”
“I know. I won’t.”
“I’m not even gonna tell Josh I know. If he follows through with it, then I’ll act totally surprised. Like this.” Henn opens his mouth and widens his eyes, apparently demonstrating his “shocked” face.
“If Josh follows through with it?”
Henn shrugs. “Maybe Josh was drunk when he asked the Morgans for their blessing. Maybe tomorrow he’ll wake up and freak out and change his mind.”
I narrow my eyes into laser beams. “I swear to God, if Josh Faraday changes his mind about marrying the only female member of the Morgan Mafia after impregnating her, and after asking her parents for their blessing, then he’d better flee the country, because Kat’s brothers won’t simply let that shit go.”
Henn snort-laughs. “The Morgan Mafia?”
“That’s what Kat and her brothers call themselves. For all that family’s razzing and teasing, they’ve got each other’s backs like you wouldn’t believe.”
“That’s the kind of family I want to have with you, Banana.” He chuckles. “We could be The Hennessey Hoodlums.”
My heart skips a beat. “That’s sounds lovely. Like a beautiful dream. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and forget to build a healthy, strong relationship in the present, okay?”
“Speaking of which, have you thought any more about taking Reed up on that two-bedroom?”
I bite back a smile. I texted Maddy earlier tonight and she lost her ever-loving mind about Reed’s offer. First off, because she loves me and adores Henn and knows I’ll be happiest living in the same city with him. But also because my sister’s genuinely ecstatic about Reed’s offer for herself, too. What student transfer wouldn’t want to live two blocks from her new campus in a luxury two-bedroom apartment with her big sister at a steeply discounted rate?
“Yes, I’ve heard from Maddy, and the move is a go, just as soon as the apartment is available and I’ve landed a job—”
“Woohoo!”
“Assuming Reed doesn’t change his mind about giving me an apartment for such a cheap price.”
“Reed won’t change his mind. He’s been wanting to do a big favor for me for a very long time.”
The comment reminds me of something I wondered earlier tonight but forgot to ask about when our partying kicked into high gear. “Why, exactly, does Reed want to do a big favor for you? What kinds of favors have you done for him in the past?”
Henn pauses. “Oh. Uh. Just some computer stuff. Setting up his record label’s system and such. When Reed was first launching his new company, he didn’t have two dimes to rub together that he wasn’t pouring into his first and only band, so I did a bunch of stuff for him for free.”
I stare at Henn for a long moment, trying to read his facial expression. It’s hard to do when he’s drunk. He looks kind of loopy. Even so, I can’t help feeling like he’s holding something back. Consciously not saying something. “That was generous of you.”
“That’s what friends do. They do favors for each other. Which is why you shouldn’t feel bad about Reed helping you out, as a favor to me.”
“Speaking of favors for friends, T-Rod told me tonight you did one for Jonas. Specifically, you ‘found’ Sarah for him. What does that mean?”
Henn twists his mouth. “Sorry, that’s not really my secret to tell.”
“It’s not a secret if T-Rod knows about it.”
“But I didn’t tell T-Rod. Josh must have told her.”
“That only proves my point even more. If Josh, T-Rod, Jonas, and Sarah know about this thing you did, then how is it too big a secret to tell me?”
Henn presses his lips together but says nothing.
“This feels like karaoke night all over again, Henn. Like I’m the last person to know something about you, and yet everyone assumes you’ve already told me. I understand you not telling me about work-related stuff. But something like this, a favor you did for a friend of ours, and everyone in our friend group already knows about it, I can’t help feeling like you don’t consider me as close a confidante as the others. And that’s a truly horrible feeling.” A surge of unexpected emotion rises inside me. “You wanted to propose to me tonight, but you’re not willing to tell me something everyone already thinks I know.”
Henn sits up and looks down at me on the bed, his face awash with concern. “You’re my confidante, Hannah. I just now blabbed to you about what Mrs. Morgan told me in confidence, didn’t I, even though I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone?”
I sniffle. “Yes, and that made me feel really close to you. Like you trust me. Like I’m special. That’s my whole point.”
