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My brow draws in. What the actual fuck?
“Nah, just wanted a little more privacy.”
It’s when she leans down to start sucking on his neck, I stand up and drain my beer. “You’re a fucking idiot,” I say. “Where the fuck is CJ?”
He grabs Halsey by the back of the hair and drags her mouth away from his skin. “Don’t accuse me of something when you haven’t been around the past hour.”
I shake my head, waiting for him to fill in the blanks. Michael sighs and lifts the chick off him before tugging on her hand so she leans down.
“I’ll find you later.”
She pouts but scampers off, throwing a death glare at me for ruining her fun.
I stay hovering over Michael, so he stands up and taps his cup against mine.
“I told you I wasn’t sure about being tied down when we leave at the end of summer. So, I took care of the problem.”
“You took care…” What he means nearly lands me on my ass. “You broke up with Charlie?”
He has a moment then, a look I’ve seen on him before. He regrets it, but then his soon-to-be frat boy brain kicks on, and he grins at me. “I tried to tell you before it all went down, but you were nowhere to be found, bro.”
I arrived late, wanting to spend some time with my brother. Rarely do we have more than a few days together, and this visit of his wasn’t any different.
"Wait.” I scrub a hand over my face, fighting through the beer-induced haze. “You dumped her, without any warning, here?”
Michael cringes, always an asshole but a self-aware asshole. “Yeah, but I needed it to be over and no coming back. You know CJ. A few fluttery blinks, and I’d be on my knees apologizing. It had to be public.”
At that moment, I land on a side of the line—and it’s not the one I expected to.
“Shit, man.”
He stares at me, the doubt creeping into his expression, but it’s too late.
I leave him in there without another word, ditching my cup at the first counter in the kitchen. As I’m passing Halsey, she grabs my bicep.
“Hey,” she says. “You and Michael done?”
“Yeah.” I turn toward her and drop my voice so it stays between us in the crowded room. “And you and him are done too.”
A look of realization washes over her face. She doesn’t need me to say more. Charlie already dealt with Michael tonight. She doesn’t need to find out one of her closest friends tried to take a ride on him an hour later.
Halsey gives me a quick nod and releases me, disappearing into the throng of people inside the cabin while I slip out the back door.
Pulling out my phone, I swipe to Charlie’s messages, half-smiling at the text she sent me when I was at dinner with the family.
* * *
Maybe you should wear your graduation cap permanently until you cut your hair.
* * *
I automatically run a hand through my hair, dragging it back out of my eyes. It drives her crazy, the only reason I haven’t cut it.
* * *
Where are you? I send her.
* * *
