Luke’s friendship means everything to me. I refuse to put us in jeopardy again, even though the idea ofusbeing more is always taunting me in the back of my mind. Luke ismorethan just my best friend. He’s homemade cinnamon rolls on weekend mornings. He’s late-night rounds ofMario Kartand reruns ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine. He’s always there when I need someone to comfort me. He’s my person. My perfectly platonic person.
“I do. Which is why I’m asking. What happened back then was a long time ago. You need to let that go, because it could be holding you back from something like they have.” She points her chin toward our parents.
"It’s more complicated than that," I say, my voice quieterthan I intended. "And I just... I don’t want to talk about it anymore." I wave her off, clearly deflecting, because I can’t bring myself to dig into that mess right now.
My stomach twists for an entirely different reason. I’ve tried to avoid romantic thoughts of any kind when it comes to Luke, burying them deep to rot away before they can be exposed. No matter how hard I try to deny them, somehow they're always there.
“But what if it wouldn’t be complicated now? Stop telling yourself all the reasons why it wouldn’t work out, and start thinking about the one reason why it could.”
Keeping my focus on her, I let her words swirl through my brain until a tiny pinch happens in my chest, like the box of feelings I have for Luke is being dug up and reopened. Instead of following my instincts of avoiding these feelings, I actually mull over them, just for a second, before I bury them back where they belong.
“Can’t you see how he lights up when you're around?”
“Wren, stop?—”
“The best kind of relationship is when you can act like lovers and best friends at the same time. Youcanhave both.”
“But I don’t want to lose him. I can’t.”
Even the idea of him walking away from me again sends a quiver to my lips. When Luke didn’t show up for me, it broke something inside of me. I’m not sure I could ever take a chance on our friendship again.
Wren reaches over and hugs me, her long nails rubbing up and down my arm. We stay like that for a while, our silence speaking more than words could ever say. Our moment is ruined by a bright flashing light in front of our faces.
We blink a few times, trying to regain our sight, barely making out the two bodies standing in front of us. “Oh, Eric, look at our sweet girls,” Mom squeals, showing him the photo she took on her phone.
“Gosh, Mom. Give us a warning next time you try to blind us,” Wren grumbles, rubbing her eyes.
“It was such a sweet moment. I wanted to capture it forever.”
“Everything okay?” Dad asks us, always the perceptive parent. Growing up, Jaxson, Wren, and I never got away with anything. He somehow always knew what we were plotting—sometimes even as we were just thinking about it.
“Yeah. Everything is peachy,” I tell him as movement from behind him catches my eye.
“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Grey.” Luke’s deep voice sends a ripple of awareness through me.
“Hey, Luke! Good job on the trivia tonight,” Dad says, giving him an easy smile.
“Thanks. Nice dance moves.”
Mom blushes and leans into Dad, who wraps his arms around her. “Thirty-five years and this man still knows how to bust a move.”
“The night is still young. How about we grab some dessert?” Dad announces, giving us a wave. “Be safe on your trip next weekend, in case we don’t see y'all before then. I hope you’re able to enjoy your time with your family.”
Luke nods in return, taking the seat next to me, his shoulder bumping into mine, as the three of us are left to say goodbye. Once my parents are out the door, Luke gives me a small smile before he looks around the room. Wren looks at me and mouths,‘I’m right about this,’before she announces that she’s going to say hi to Zane, who's standing a few tables away.
“So, you told your parents.” His gaze returns to mine.
“Of course. I didn’t want them to look at our Life 360 app and randomly see me floating from Kentucky to Indiana without knowing why.”
There’s an awkward silence as Luke and I stare at the few people dancing to a song from the 80’s. Why did Wren have toput those thoughts into my head, making things feel awkward between Luke and me? Maybe it’s just me, though.
I turn and look at Luke, who catches my movement and looks back at me. I smile. He smiles back. And then... I just sit there, staring at him.What is this?
I stretch my arms overhead, trying to shake the weird energy buzzing beneath my skin. "So."
He mirrors me, his smile curling into a knowing smirk. "So." His gaze sharpens. "Something’s off with you."
I let out a huff. "You have no idea."
