Zoey and E sat in the living room with me, right on the floor with our legs crossed. There was a half–empty box of pizza that the two of them were having along with some sodas. I had a mug of warm ginger and lemon tea to soothe my throat.
After taking another sip, I smiled. “I still can’t believe you guys actually came all the way here.” My voice was now a bit raspy. “This was the best surprise ever.”
Zoey grinned and raised her soda can like it was a toast. “We just had toe over when you mentioned you weren’t doing too well. E and I were actuallyughing about it during the four hour drive here.”
“Yeah!” E chimed in. “We were hyping you up on Tiffany’s post and yet there was something even better on the way.”
I dramatically ced a hand on my chest. “Thanks. You guys are so sweet.”
Zoey chewed thoughtfully before saying, “That was the best pback ever. I wonder what Grayson’s gonna say about <i>it</i>.”
“Does it even matter?” E twisted her face in annoyance. “All he’s ever done is hurt Harper. That’s why she had to break up with Mike two years ago. She couldn’t fake it anymore because her heart was somewhere else.”
“Can we not bring up Mike?” I murmured before sipping from the mug.
“Girl, it’s not like we’re lying.” Zoey nudged my foot with hers. “He really loved you, but you weren’t into him. You never were<b>.” </b>
“You know what?” E leaned towards me. “I still don’t understand why you decided toe back to this town when you knew you were going to be seeing Grayson. It was already difficult to move on when you were away but you chose toe back?”
“He’ll always be someone special to me. We’ve been very close since childhood. I’m really trying.”
“Speaking ofing back to this town,” Zoey began. “This ce is actually cute.”
“Yeah and it’s all mine<i>.</i>” I set the mug down.
They exchanged a nce before E spoke.
“We really thought you were kidding when you said you wouldn’t move into your family home when you returned, but we were wrong.”
I sighed. “There are too many memories in that house. I actually like living alone.”
“Hey…” Zoey ced her hand on my shoulder gently. “If you ever need help finding Anna’s home address, we can totally do some digging.”
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I smiled painfully. “There’s no need for that. If she wants to be found, she’ll be the one to tell me.”
They didn’t push and that was one of the things I loved about the two of them. They knew how to get loud and messy, but they also knew when to stop talking.
Suddenly, E cackled so hard she nearly choked on her pizza slice. “Do you remember the first day we met? Harper had that giant backpack that made her look like her back hurt.”
I groaned, covering my face with one hand. “Please don’t bring that up.”
“It made you look like you were ready to climb Mount Everest, not attend ss<b>.” </b>
“And the two braids,” Zoey snorted. “They were thick, frizzy and tied up with those neon scrunchies.”
I reached for a pillow on the couch behind me and smacked Zoey with it. “You’re one to talk. Don’t forget you had those braces and sses that kept sliding down your nose.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t as bad as E. She had that oversized hoodie with those cartoon character leggings.”
Iughed so hard that it felt ufortable in my throat and I couldn’t hide my difort.
“Hey, you okay?” Zoey asked.
I smiled. “Yeah, just this sore throat. I’m really d you guys are here. We all looked like a mess, but it worked out in the end.”
Raising her pizza slice, E said, “Here’s to the girls we were and-”
An engine suddenly rumbled into my driveway and the three of us froze.
Zoey moved so fast towards the window that she almost tripped over the pizza box.
E followed right behind her, gasping in unison when they both pulled the curtain back.
“That’s a fucking Bugatti!” E whispered.
I already knew who it was and I only confirmed it when I joined them by the window.
Maddox stepped out of his car in his white shirt, his long sleeves rolled up. It looked like he was in a full suit and had just taken off his jacket. I didn’t actually think he’de to see me.
He had one hand in his pocket while the other one had a small ck <i>bag</i>. I tilted my head, wondering what was in it.
“Is that really Maddox Aldridge?” Zoey brought her face real close to mine.
“Yup,” I whispered.
She pointed a finger at me. “You better stop wasting your breath on Grayson and start fucking that guy out there.”
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I chuckled hard. I didn’t mean to, but they knew what it meant and it made their jaws drop.
“You’re already sleeping with him?” E covered her mouth excitedly.
I raised my hands. “Calm down. It’s not like that, okay?”
Zoey folded her arms<b>. </b>“You didn’t say no.”
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E clutched her chest. “Just a few minutes ago, I was talking about how it’s going to be difficult for you to move on because you’ll be seeing Grayson all the time and you’re over here getting your insides drilled by the one and only Maddox Aldridge?”
“It’s nothing serious.” My tone was dismissive.
“<b>I </b><b>was </b>a little disappointed because we had to reschedule our ns so you can attend his birthday party but now that I see him in the flesh, I’m totally cool with it.”
“Me too!” Zoey nodded with enthusiasm.
I scoffed, my gaze glued to his figure as he approached the front door. I couldn’t help but bite my lip at the fact that my hands had been all over him the previous evening.
When he knocked on the door, the two of them squealed, picking up the pizza box and drinks from the floor to ce them on a table.
E fluffed her hair while Zoey dove on the couch and patted the seat beside her like it would make her look more casual.
I even rolled my eyes with a chuckle, then opened the door for him. Our eyes instantly met and he didn’t even smile or say hi. He just handed me the bag.
“That should be good enough,” he said.
I slowly took it from him. “What’s inside?”
“You’d have the answer to that if you checked,” he bluntly said.
I scoffed, checking inside the bag. There were different types of snacks and I spotted something else that made me gasp in pleasant surprise.
“You got me some ginger lozenges<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“I bought those when I was getting closer to this ce. The guy at the store said they’d help and I hope they do, now that I’ve heard you speak.”
“Thanks.” I smiled a little.
He nodded lightly, not even trying to act like that was a big deal.
Zoey and E giggled from behind me and that made him look past me, ncing at them two of them before raising an eyebrow at me.
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“You have guests<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“They’re my girls, Zoey and E.”
“The ones you tagged?”
I nodded.
:
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He didn’t even wait for me to speak, walking past me and into the living room like he owned the ce.
Both girls couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces, clearly trying not to drool over him as they waved like idiots.
“Hiii,” they said in unison.
“I’m Zoey.”
“I’m E.”
He barely nodded at them in acknowledgement.
“Want something to drink?” Zoey asked.
“No,” he said, taking out his phone. “I’m just about to leave.”
He walked past me again, his gaze glued to his phone screen like he was reading something important.
The girls fanned themselves as they looked past me so they could take in the view of Maddox heading out the door.
“Damn!” E whispered when he was outside. “He’s so much hotter in person and you get to see every inch of that?”
I chuckled quietly, excusing myself so I could have a chat with Maddox. I couldn’t wait to have those snacks.
I found him leaning against the hood of his car and couldn’t help but smile.
“What?” he asked with a nk expression.
“I really didn’t think you’d bring me anything,” I admitted, standing right next to him.
“Yeah, I got them on my way back from my dad’s estate.” He clenched his jaw.
“Looks like you didn’t really enjoy it.”
“Is it that obvious? The one thing I enjoyed was seeing Tiffany get so mad after yourment and the replies. It <b>was </b>so satisfying. Grayson didn’t say anything about it.”
I frowned. “Why would you tell me that?”
<b>“</b><b>It’s </b>not like you weren’t curious about his reaction.”
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I nced to the side, hating the fact that Maddox saw right through me.
Changing the topic, he said, “Is your throat so bad that you can’t…swallow?”
My jaw dropped and I sighed while trying to hold in myugh. “Stop.”
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There was finally a small smile on his lips and right when I gently hit the side of his arm, his phone rang. I pulled back my hand so he could check the caller ID. I was right next to him and could see that it was his father. It made him turn serious.
“Dad,” he said tly after picking up, looking at the ground with a nk expression. “The golf club? Sure.”
The phone call was short and his voice was low and cold.
When he hung up, he stood in silence, as if thinking about the phone call.
It was only when his phone rang a few secondster that he snapped out of it. I saw the name sh on the screen before he answered and this time, it was Uncle Sebastian.
“Uncle! What’s up?” His voice was now warm and a little yful. “No, no, I’ll definitely be there, but you’re buying the drinks this time.”
He grinned and my eyes widened a little. Was this the same guy who had just gotten off the phone with his father and sounded so cold?
When he hung up, he still had a warm smile.
“You’re different with him,” <b>I </b>said.
He turned his head towards me. “Who?”
“Your uncle.”
The warmth in his expression faded as he pushed himself off the hood of the car and straightened up. “Don’t read too much into it.”
“You actually sounded happy.”
He clenched his jaw, like I had actually said something I shouldn’t have,
Then, he gave me the usual cocky smirk. “Anyway, is Kate’s lipstick still on my lips?”
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