“A lot,” I said slowly.
He gave me a look. “Frankie. It was adate. You wore my hoodie. You let me win.”
“I didn’t let you win,” I muttered. “You cheated.”
“Still counts.” His smirk appeared briefly, but it didn’t last.
I stared at him. “But why didn’t you ever say anything?”
He shrugged, fidgeting with his straw wrapper. “Because you weren’t ready. You never seemed to respond to it. Because I wasn’t ready to be rejected. I thought maybe if I waited long enough, you'd figure it out on your own.”
I looked down at the table. “Archie…”
“I know it’s not good timing,” he said. “I know you’re fighting with Jake, that Coop is in this, probably Bubba too, and whatever the hell is happening with Frenchy. I get that I might be one too many.”
“It’s not that,” I said quickly. Too quickly. “I’m just—shocked. That’s all. You’ve always been…you.Funny. Safe.”
His expression didn’t change, but something about his posture pulled inward. “Right. ‘Safe.’ Every guy wants to hear that.”
“No,” I said, reaching across the table before I could stop myself. My fingers brushed his wrist. “That’s not what I meant. I just—Archie, we’ve always been easy. But now… nothing feels easy.”
He studied me for a long moment. “So let’s make this easy. Just one question, Frankie. Just answer it honestly.”
“Okay.”
He tilted his head. “Does itreallysurprise you that I have a thing for you? Or did you just not want to deal with what it meant if I did?”
The truth hit me like a gut punch.
“You know, you have dated, right?” Was I a being a bitch to point it out? “Like, a lot.”
“Yes, I’m aware I’ve dated other girls—like Patty,” he said quietly, eyes flicking away. “None of them meant anything. A distraction. But if I’m honest… I thought you really weren’t interested. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. So I kept my distance, tried to keep things casual. Maybe dating others would take the edge off.”
A sigh escaped me. He had gone through a lot of girls, always keeping it casual, light. Patty had lasted the longest, but was it because he liked her or because she didn’t irritate him enough to shake off?
Raking a hand through his hair, he looked at me with a kind of raw honesty I only ever saw from him when it was just us. Vulnerability hidden behind a sharp tongue and eyes that saw too much. “Now… I’m worried. Worried I might’ve lost you before I even had a chance.”
Had I known? I tried to turn it all over in my head. The guys were—the guys. My best friends. We did everything together until we didn’t. My throat was dry. First Coop. Bubba. Jake. Now Archie. I couldn’t even decide if this was agoodthing.
Dating would change everything. The last thing I wanted was to lose him. Lose any of them. Walking away this summer had been the hardest damn thing I’d ever done. Now, not even a few days into senior year and…
What?
What did all of this mean?
“I don’t know what to do with this.”With you. I didn’t say the last part aloud as I dropped my gaze, feeling the burn behind my eyes.
He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just let the silence hang between us like a sheer curtain.
“I don’t know how to be what everyone wants,” I admitted. “I keep screwing it up. Jake hates me. Coop’s upset. Bubba asked me to not just choose one guy. And now you…”
“I don’t want you to be what Iwant,” Archie said softly. “I want you to beyou.Even if it’s messy. Even if it’s not with me.”
I looked up, throat tight. “Liar.”
He raised his brows.
A watery laugh escaped me. “You hate to lose.”
