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Joe: I hope you made it to NY safely. Can we please talk when you get home? I miss you.
A hundred different responses bounce around my brain. I don’t type any of them because I don’t want him to see those dreadful dots show up on his screen. What is there to talk about? Unless Joe has the DeLorean, there’s no way he can fix this sans time travel.
By the time we’re inside the bar doing shots, I’ve reread Joe’s message five times. (And Mallory’s still talking.)
My mom was right: Joe is young. Young people make mistakes. But when a mistake breaks a heart in the process, how do you find forgiveness amidst the wreckage? Joe left me when things got real. Not only did he run, but he ran into the arms of another woman. How could he say he loves me, yet hurt me so badly?
“And this is my best friend, Carla.”
The sound of my name snaps my attention up from my phone to see who Charlotte is introducing me to. We’re meeting one of Tanner’s friends tonight, though I don’t remember his name since I was only half-listening.
Tattoos. Muscles. Piercing blue eyes. Lips curved into a cocky smile. Holy Mother of Dragons, it’s him!
TJ knows Charlotte.
Charlotte knows TJ.
They’re friends.
My best friend is friends with the man who screwed me so good I have bruises on my hips. So much for my one- night stand with a stranger never to be seen again.
When it comes to fight versus flight, I am a definite flight-risk. But I can’t run now. Not without seeming like a certified lunatic. Like any sane person, I resort to telepathy. I’m not sure how it works, but I’m hoping to convey a message that says don’t you dare breathe a word to anyone about last night.
It must’ve worked because TJ extends his hand and says, “Nice to meet you, Carla.” If only he wasn’t wearing that shit-eating grin.
My teeth grind together as I plaster on a smile and slip my hand into his. The molecules in the air around us crackle. “Nice to meet you.” My eyes zoom in on his tattooed fingers as they wrap around my hand. I recall the way they looked when they were sliding between my—no. Focus.
I’m so distracted by the explosions going off in my head, I miss half the conversation that follows our introduction.
Mallory grips my arm. “You should move here. I’d totally get an apartment with you. I’m dying to get out of my house.”
Charlotte looks offended. “Why didn’t you ask me to get an apartment with you?”
Mallory points her thumb at Tanner. “You’re moving in with him.”
“I never said that!”
Mallory rolls her eyes. “You will eventually, and I can’t carry the rent on my own when you do.”
My mouth is finally able to form words. “You’re looking to move out?” I don’t know if I could tolerate living with someone as loud as Mallory, so I add that to the con side of my mental list. But on the pro side, having someone to split the rent with would definitely make things easier. Wait, why am I thinking about moving here? Do I want to move here?
Mallory’s face lights up. “Hell, yes! Let me know and I’ll start apartment hunting.”
Tanner hugs Charlotte to his side. “See, babe? Your friends are going to live together. We should live together. Everybody wins.”
“And when you guys start fighting, I can tell you to come stay at my place.” Mallory turns to me. “They’ve broken up at least five times since they started dating.”
Charlotte’s hand flies to her hip. “That’s an exaggeration.”
“Bullshit,” TJ fake coughs.
“You’re together now,” I say. “That’s all that matters.” I lift my index finger to Tanner’s nose and step closer to him. “But if you break her heart, I’ll kill you.”
Tanner raises his right hand. “I will never hurt her.”
That’s what they all say.
“Feisty and beautiful,” TJ says. “I like your friend, Charlotte.”
