“That’s right,” she snaps. “I was going to make you fall for me, just like you did with me when we were kids. And thenIwas going to breakyourheart. I know, right, not very mature, is it? But you know what’s also not very mature? Having a family and fucking around on the side. So sorry, not sorry.”
My mouth falls open as this news washes over me.
All this time, she’s been playing me, too.
An instant of rage pricks me.
But then a smile spreads across my face.
We did the same fucking thing.
Of course we did.
Because we’reHarry and Grace.
I can’t help it. I throw my head back and let out a howling laugh, holding onto my sides as my whole body trembles with the hilarity.
“Harry, what the heck?” she snaps. “How’s that funny? Didn’t you hear me? I tricked your ass.”
“I was doing the same,” I manage to say, between gulping chuckles. “Jesus, Grace, Istartedout doing the same. I was going to make you fall for me and then ghost you, like you ghosted me.”
Suddenly, the door swings inward and Grace paces right up to me.
The light makeup around her eyes is smeared slightly, but whether it’s with tears or sweat, I can’t really tell. Whichever it is, it makes her look slightly vulnerable, a protective urge rising inside of me.
But her wavy, confident hair, no longer in the ponytail, makes her look like a damn warrior princess.
She stops mere inches from me, looking up at me as she bites her lip in that oh-so-Grace way. Her marine eyes stare into me searchingly. The corners of her lips twitch when she stops biting, as if she’s fighting back a smile.
“Are you serious?” she says, her voice rising in pitch. “We both had the same plan. What are the chances of that?”
“Pretty high, I’d say,” I mutter, moving closer to her. The heat of her body is a magnet for my desire. “We’ve always been alike in that way, Grace. Just think about it. We fell in love so damn quick when we were kids. We’re both too passionate and stubborn. That’s the truth.”
She backs away slightly. “Soallthis time, it’s been a trick?”
“I could ask you the same question,” I counter. “But no, not all the time. It was just my excuse to let myself get close to you. That’s the truth. It was never a trick, except maybe for that first day. But even then, I felt myself getting weaker. You’re just too …Grace, Grace.”
She giggles. “I guess you’re too Harry, too. It was the same with me. Just an excuse, really. But then I agreed to help Adam.”
“What do you mean?”
“I told him I’d steal your laptop for him,” she mutters.
“What?” I gasp, more confused than angry. “Why?”
“Because ofGemma, Harry,” she hisses, anger flaring in her expression. “Adam is Gemma’s cousin and he told me that you hadn’t paid any child support for her kid …yourkid. But I think he was lying to me, trying to turn me against you.”
“He’s not Gemma’s cousin.”
“What?” she mutters.
“Adam isn’t Gemma’s cousin. I don’t know what game he’s playing, but that was a damn lie. Maybe he made that up, too, to try and turn you against me.”
“This is sofricked.”
“Grace.” I take a big step forward, pushing us both into the dorm room, where clothes lie scattered around like a bomb’s gone off in here. “I don’t care what you promised Adam. He’s a liar. It’s in the past.”
“Don’t, Harry,” she whispers, lifting her hand and gripping onto my chest. “I won’t betray your family like this, not knowingly. Maybe Adam’s not her cousin. Fine. He’s a weirdo. But you’ve still got a secret family to worry about.”
