Page 47 of This Changes Everything

“No, we did not, Kara.” I glared at her. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“Uh-huh.” She grinned, then flipped her finger between us accusingly.

“I’ve got breakfast in five, ladies. Put your panties on.” He pointed at them with a breakfast sandwich in one hand and the spatula in the other. When Hannah and Kara spun themselves around to get out of bed, he looked over at me and mouthed, Not you.

As my sister pulled on a sweater and Kara stood with a stretch, Ben grabbed his phone and pressed a couple of buttons. From our apartment speakers, out blasted the Cranberries’ “When You’re Gone.” He winked at me, sending me a silent message, before turning to the small portable grill and throwing down a couple of extra strips of bacon.

The plan had been for me, Hannah, and Kara to spend the day at the spa before the three of us went out for dinner. We would meet Ben, Lucas, and Zoë at Key One Lounge later in the night for birthday celebrations. Ben and I had been texting throughout the day, and when I told the girls, “Surprise, surprise, I touched Ben’s dick,” they jumped up and down excitedly.

Hannah and Kara weren’t bothered by my distraction. I could see how happy they were for me every time I got an unprompted hug or squeeze. That, and my sister got Lucas’s number the night before, and Kara and Cameron had been texting nonstop. They, too, were distracted.

“Where are we going again?” Kara asked for the fifth time while we were in the cab heading downtown. My lottery commercial popped up on the screen of the cab’s divider.

Hannah gasped and pointed. “Holy crap! That’s you!”

“Key One Lounge,” I answered Kara, ignoring my sister.

“Okay.” She buried her face in her phone, typing.

“What’s going on?” I asked while reapplying my lipstick.

“I don’t know. Cameron’s being cagey. He keeps asking.”

“Well, tell him to leave you alone. You’re on vacation,” Hannah said.

By the time the three of us got to Key One Lounge, Ben, Lucas, and Zoë were already inside. We walked up to their table, and they rose from their seats to greet us. Zoë ran to Hannah and Kara to hug them even before introductions were made.

Seeing Ben hit me differently. I had to let my eyes catch up with my heart. His eyes fell straight to my mouth, but he caught himself and lifted them back up. I hadn’t yet given him the official “Go.” As far as the Bronwyn crew knew, we were just buddies who had had an epic make-out session in a bar the night before.

“Hi.” His voice was deep.

“Hi.” I smiled.

“Hi.” The third voice was familiar. Very familiar. Too familiar. It was Cameron. “Happy birthday, Cainey.”

“Oh . . . my god.” My sister grabbed my hand and held on for dear life.

I turned around. Standing beside Cameron was Jacob. Directly behind them was Blair. And standing behind Blair . . . was Rory.

Chapter 16

VANCOUVER 20 years old

“ELLIE, I CAN’T BELIEVE I DID THAT.”

Kara sat on the edge of my bed. I had finally started packing my two suitcases to take with me to New York, and a whole shitload of baggage. But even though she had thrown our status quo into disarray, part of me was relieved to have the weight finally released from my chest.

Kara pressed her hands against the sides of her head, overwrought with guilt. “I’m so sorry. Cameron was so mad at me.” She nervously twirled her short hair around her finger until it was knotted. “He was going on about the time you and Rory stopped being friends when you were sixteen and how it ruined everything. He said it destroyed Rory. And everything changed because Hannah and I disappeared, too. I guess he’s afraid of that happening again.”

“It’s okay, Kara. I’m not going to pile on. Everyone already knew how I felt, anyway. It’s not like it wasn’t obvious.”

“Have you spoken with Rory?” She pulled on my comforter.

“No. And I don’t want to. I said I loved him, again, multiple times, point-blank, in front of everyone, and he just looked at me. Granted, we were in the middle of a fight, and I had a boyfriend . . . what the fuck is wrong with me?” My arms fell to my sides, and I took a deep breath. I was clearly in the midst of a fight-or-flight response, and I had chosen to flee. “I was such an asshole to Matt . . . and Rory. I ruined everything. What a way to go,” I sighed.

“Has he called or texted?”

“Yeah. I’m not answering. He’s tried the house, too, but Hannah’s on guard. I can’t deal with it. What’s he going to say? ‘I don’t love you’? ‘It’s too late’? ‘You’re moving to another country’? Like, I know! I need to get some space between us.”