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“Like what?” she argues, despite being fully aware of what I’m talking about.

“Like you’re enjoying this.”

“I’m not. I hate that you’re hurting. I know this guy means something to you. I mean, you just hopped states at the last minute to hang out with him. Your ‘friend’…” I don’t need the finger quotes she adds; the way her tone changes with that one word says it all.

I can’t fight my smile. “Yeah, he does mean something to me. A lot, actually.”

“You’ve fallen in love.”

“W-what?” I ask, my attention twisting to her so fast I’m amazed I don’t snap my neck.

She laughs at my confusion. “I know you, Garrett. And while you might think you’re good at hiding things, you’re not. I can see it written all over your face.”

I drop my head in my hands and think for a moment as my heart continues to beat out of rhythm.

“What if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“He does,” she states confidently, despite the fact that she may or may not have figured out who my mystery man is.

“How can you say that?”

“He’s pissed you might be hooking up with others.”

“He thinks I’ve been cheating, lying. That’s⁠—”

“He hasn’t had a chance to think it through. He saw a notification and jumped to conclusions, and his first emotion was anger and jealousy. That’s a good thing.”

“It is? Surely a good thing would be him trusting me.”

“Well, ultimately, yes. But you haven’t known each other all that long. Your relationship is new. Trust can take time, especially when you’re keeping things discreet.”

I slump back on the couch.

“I guess you’re right,” I mutter reluctantly.

“Bro, I’m always right, or did you forget?”

I poke my tongue out at her.

“Look, the worst reaction he could have had was not caring. That would have been concerning.”

I reach for my drink, knowing she’s right.

“He cares, Garrett. Whatever it is you’ve found with him, he doesn’t want to ruin it as much as you don’t. You need to talk to him about this.”

“I sent him a message hours ago. He hasn’t even read it.”

“Maybe he’s been busy.” I mean, yeah. He’s traveled back from Denver. But so have I, and I’ve managed to check my cell at least four times a minute. He really has no excuse.

“Has he been in a relationship before?” Sienna asks.

“Uh…kinda. But not like this.”

“Define this?”

“Um…something serious.”

“Okay, so he’s new to all this as well. Just like you, he’s not always going to know what to do. He’s used to living his life, only worrying about himself. And now, there’s someone else.