A knock at my bedroom door ices the moment and brings us back to reality. Crap. Who is—
"Hey," Tria says, making my heart stumble to a nearly exhausted halt.
How did I forget about Tria? She was with him. At one in the morning, she was dressed for bed and so was he. They showed up together, and even though I was weak and sick, I distinctly remember Tria's car missing from my house when they rushed me out.
I have to swallow back bile. Now I just want them both out.
"Hey," Dane says, smiling at her.
He doesn't bother to act awkward in his towel either, proving they are incredibly comfortable with each other.
"Sorry to bug you, but my car is still at your place, and I need to go grab some stuff if I'm going to be staying here."
Oh. So they were planning to stay together. In my house. Of course her car is at his house.
"Actually," I interject, trying to sound calm and not at all sick and destroyed, "I'm calling Maverick to come over. If I have to have a babysitter, then he'll do. Besides, he owes me more favors than I can ever really collect."
I smile, keeping the bitterness out of my gaze. These two need to get out of my house. Right now.
"You can call Mav if you want, but I'm still staying. He can sleep in the guestroom," Dane says with a shrug.
Surely he doesn't plan on sleeping with me again. As tempting as it is to find out, I also feel gross. Tria and Dane were together, more than likely in the same bed. No thank you.
"Please, just go. I don't want you here because it's just too... odd. You should take Tria back to your house. I'm sure the two of you were somehow interrupted, and though I appreciate what you did—since I have no idea where my phone is—I just want to relax for a while."
Tria and Dane exchange a look, and then Dane starts laughing. "We were somehow interrupted? Your sister woke me up at one in the morning because she was banging on my door when she couldn't get a hold of you or get into your house. By the way, we need to discuss your pathetic excuse for an entry code."
They weren't together? Tria went over there because she was worried? I'm relieved and shocked.
"I'm staying, so get the hell over it," Dane adds with his beautiful grin.
"I'll be back later, unless Maverick is coming," Tria says with a sneer.
I bite back a grin, since Maverick and she aren't exactly as close as she and Dane.
"Keys are on the table," Dane says while walking toward the bed, keeping his eyes on me.
Damn. I really need to brush my teeth, fix my hair, and take a shower. I spent the majority of the night hurling.
Tria leaves, carrying a small smile as Dane crashes to the bed beside me. He flops back and stares at the ceiling, and I start praying his towel falls apart. I'm pathetic.
"It felt like old times last night. You. Me. Sleeping in the same bed, and then me waking up with a damn painful hard-on."
My eyes almost pop out of my head, and I strangle on air, which prompts his laughter. I know my cheeks have to be sizzling right now.
"Don't act so bashful, Rain. It's not like you never noticed it. And though you avoided discussing it... ever... you have seen every inch of my body. Don't make this weird."
"Weird?" I chuckle nervously, feeling like a thirteen-year-old-girl blushing because a guy said hard-on. I'm such an idiot around him. I write sex scenes for fuck's sake. This shouldn't be embarrassing.
"Weird," he repeats, winking at me. "We used to touch, snuggle, and kiss on each other like it wasn't a big deal. And we were kids. Granted, you never woke me up by stroking my—"
"Okay, Okay," I interrupt, feeling the fever attack my cheeks again, and making his laughter return.
Little by little his laughter tapers off, and I risk a glance at him to see him studying me. After what feels like forever, he seems to decide against whatever he was going to say, and instead asks, "What happened between you and Kode?"
I really wanted to avoid this conversation. I can lie, but he'll know it if I do.
"He wanted more. I don't see him as more. I didn't know he felt that way, or I wouldn't have... I don't know. Everything will be different now. The way it was with..."
My voice trails off. I can't say what I want to. I refuse to bring up that terrible letter and the heartbreak I endured. But I want to tell him I understand it now. He handled it like a total jerk, but I understand why he freaked out. You just don't know what to say, and you know the friendship is ruined no matter what.
I've blamed him for destroying us for all these years, but it was really me. I wanted more, and I stole the fun and innocence of our friendship. I'm the one who broke us.
He lets out a heavy breath and drops his head back. "We were kids, Rain. Neither of us knew what we wanted. We were just too young to maturely deal with the situation. We threw away an incredible friendship because we couldn't talk it through."