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“Well, when these two,” he motioned to Ella and Jonas, “come in every other weekend acting likethat,it seems like far longer.”

I looked over at Ella and Jonas, and they were lost in each other’s eyes, not saying a word. Jonas was drawing circles on Ella’s thigh with his fingers, and she was rubbing a hand up and down his bicep.

I looked back over at Bart and made a fake gagging sound. He chuckled as he turned around to prepare our drinks. I loved seeing my sister happy, and I was glad that she had found someone who treated her so well and who loved her the way she deserved. I just wish they could love each other in private, rather than making me the third wheel every time we were out together.

It took several more minutes before they realized I was still sitting next to them, and my whisky was half gone before theirs had even been touched. As I gazed into my depleting glass, I let my mind wander to Grace.

What was she doing?

Where was she?

Who was she with?

It was a Friday night, she was probably on a date or with her friends or—a thought struck me. Why hadn’t Ella ever brought Grace out with us before? And why hadn’t she ever introduced me to her? I may not be in the city all that often, but I was here enough to get to know some of Ella’s friends.

With Ella and Jonas finally back in reality and sipping on their drinks, I decided to make a bold move. I wasn’t sure how she would take it, but I would regret it if I never asked.

“Ella, can I have Grace’s number?”

She raised an eyebrow at me, and Jonas leaned forward, making the exact same face. They were infuriatingly perfect together.

“Why?” she asked slowly.

I probably should have come up with a reason before asking. I couldn’t tell her that it was because we had fucked multiple times at her bachelorette party, or that I couldn’t stop thinking about her, or that I had countless sex dreams about her.

“She was telling me about a band she liked and I can’t remember the name.”

That was absolutely the lamest thing I could have said.

“A band? That you don’t know?”

I nodded my head, but I knew this lie wasn’t going to get me anywhere.

“Okay, the truth is, we are planning something for you guys, and we just need to work out a few more details. I forgot to save her number after Miami.”

Well, at least that was a little bit more believable. Ella looked at Jonas and they seemed to have some kind of unspoken conversation for a full minute before Ella turned back to me.

“Alright,” she said, a sense of hesitancy in her voice, “I’ll send you her number. But if you do anything out of line—”

“What? What would I possibly do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Dylan. Maybe sleep with her and never call her back. Lead her on and then ghost her. Get her pregnant and then run away.”

I was stunned that Ella would bring up these moments from my past, but she had a point. I hadn’t been the most cautious or caring with women before, and I hadn’t told Ella the truth about any of those situations. She knew the worst parts of me, so I couldn’t blame her for not wanting me to get close to one of her friends.

“Ella, I swear, nothing will happen between me and Grace.”

“Good,” she said sharply, ending the conversation.

When I arrivedhome that night, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw I had several messages from Ella.

“I’m sorry for what I said.”

“Here is Grace’s number.”

“But I’ve got my eye on you, Woods.”

“If anything happens between you two, she will tell me.”