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She glances down at her activewear. ‘Oh?’

‘And how much better it’d look on my bedroom floor.’

‘Wow,’ she says, laughing softly, like she’s not sure whether to be surprised or impressed. ‘You’ve gotten bold.’

‘Always am when it comes to you,’ I counter, watching her from the corner of my eye. ‘You were much the same, if I recall correctly.’

She scoffs, but there’s colour creeping into her cheeks now. ‘Is that so?’

‘Very much so.’

Her gaze lingers on me a second longer than necessary. She lifts her glass without breaking our eye contact. ‘Careful, Ash. You don’t want to start something you can’t finish.’

I grin slowly. ‘Oh, don’t worry,’ I say, voice low and teasing. ‘Finishing is kind of my specialty.’

She laughs, a soft, surprised sound that makes a warm feeling ooze through my chest.

‘Is that an invitation?’ she asks.

I shrug, leaning closer so that my shoulder brushes hers. ‘If you want it to be.’

Her eyes flash playfully, and I feel the electric tug of tension between us.

‘Hmm,’ she murmurs, tipping her head as if weighing up the answer. ‘You’re dangerously confident, Ash.’

‘Confident that I want you, Bryn.’

She shakes her head, but there’s no hiding her smile, nor the faint blush on her cheeks. I stand, pulling out my keys, and her eyes drop to them, noticing the keychain – the one she gifted me all those years ago. She looks at me, stunned.

I hold the keys up like a trophy, smirking. ‘Thought I’d keep this little reminder with me. You know, in case I ever forget who I belong to.’

‘You kept it all this time?’

‘Of course,’ I say. ‘Wouldn’t dare part with it. Some things are too important to let go of.’

She shakes her head, still caught between disbelief and amusement. ‘Even after I forced you out of my life?’

I don’t know what to say to that.

‘You never thought about throwing it away?’ she asks.

I shake my head. ‘No.’

‘Why?’

‘Because even when you wanted nothing to do with me, I still wanted you.’

She blinks, clearly taken aback by my honesty, and unsure what to do with it. A sad smile tugs at her lips. ‘That doesn’t seem fair.’

I tilt my head. ‘When has anything ever been fair for me?’

Bryn reaches out, her fingers brushing the keychain, then my hand, my skin heating as if she burned me. With that simple, familiar touch, I feel it again. The stir of obsession, lust, and years of yearning that I have never been able to shake, no matter how hard I tried.

Her thumb grazes my knuckles. For one reckless second, I imagine telling her everything, watching that softness vanish from her face as it is replaced with understanding … or horror. The thought alone should make me let go. Instead, I close my hand around hers, and when she doesn’t pull away, I almost convince myself that maybe the truth won’t matter when it finally comes for us.

The night air is cool when we spill outside. The street’s quiet tonight, and the occasional car passes, its headlights washing over us and disappearing again. We walk side by side, close but not touching. Bryn shoves her hands into the pockets of the hoodie I gave her. Her eyes are fixed ahead, her long hair trailing down her shoulders. She looks better in my clothes than I do.

‘So,’ she says conversationally. ‘Guess tonight’s been unexpected.’