Page 5 of Trustfall

Then I say, “I should go,” just as she says, “I have to get back to—” She lets out a nervous giggle and bites her lip.

Fuck, no. Not again. Down, boy.

I turn around and open the door, but she calls out to me before I make it outside. “Hey, Luke.” I whip my head back around. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” she smiles, and I think I might die just from seeing the way her eyes light up.

“Thanks,” I manage. “I’ll see you around.”

I slip out the door and let out a long breath.

Fuck.

This is going to be harder than I thought.

3

EMORY

When I wasin middle school, I got my first period during math class. Blood ran down my leg as Mr. Davis threw some tissues at me, and the entire class looked on in horror. Gram had to pick me up early. After she took me to the pharmacy, we got frozen yogurt, and she said the words I've repeated to myself over and over since that day.

Time heals, baby.

What she meant was that everyone would forget what happened. Someone would do something just as embarrassing, and I'd be old news. She was right. Eventually, everyone at school moved on. It took longer, but I did too. Now, I can even laugh about that day. While I agree time heals some wounds, I don't think it heals everything. Or maybe some things just take longer.

It’s been five days since I fell on my ass in front of Luke in my underwear. The mortification still lingers, but it’s slowly fading with each day. Staying busy at work has been a distraction, but now that I have a day off, I’ve got all the time in the world to relive the humiliating moment repeatedly in my head like some fucked up reel. On the flip side, I also have time to indulge in daydreams about that little dimple Luke has on his left cheek and those damn bright blue eyes that I would swim in if I could.

Allie finally stopped pestering me for information yesterday when she remembered her food blog was due the next day and she still hadn’t been to the restaurant she was supposed to review. I repeatedly told her I’d never hooked up with Luke, but she wouldn't drop it. I eventually gave in and admitted I had a crush on him back in high school, but nothing ever happened because he's Nate's best friend. Plus, he hardly even knew I existed. I was genuinely surprised he knew my name when he showed up at the door with my scrubs.

It’s not what he called you the last time you saw him.

I made Allie promise not to tell Nate what happened. I didn't think I could explain it in a way that wouldn't make Nate want to kill Luke. Or me. Or even Allie, who stood there like a Greek statue as a tattooed man held my face in his hands while I knelt before him half-naked. I still haven't completely forgiven her for that, by the way. She was the one who made me strip in our front driveway in the first place, and when I fell, she froze instead of coming to my rescue. She must have felt a little guilty about it because she didn’t argue much and agreed that telling Nate would only cause more drama.

Then I wondered if Luke would tell him. I didn't think he would, since saying he touched me while I was half-naked would incriminate himself, just as much as me. But maybe he'd find a way to make it sound innocent. Itwasinnocent. He helped me up, checked for injuries, and brought me my scrubs—all normal, neighborly things to do.

Allie startles me from my thoughts as she walks into the kitchen, holding her “If I'm still holding this, it's too early to talk to me” mug. “You're doing it again,” she accuses.

“I feel like we need to revisit the conversation about getting you a bell,” I deadpan.

“Whatever. At least I’m not sitting around drooling over a certain tattooed, sex-on-legs neighbor.” She smiles sweetly, but I’ve known her long enough to know that nothing she does is truly sweet.

“I am not drooling. And I wasn’t thinking about him,” I lie.

“Sure.” She pours more coffee into her mug and starts rummaging in the fridge for creamer.

“Did you miss that he's Nate's best friend? You didn't go to high school with us, so you don't get how far Nate went to keep guys away from me, especially his friends and teammates.”

“Emory, Babe. That was then. You’re not in high school anymore. You are an adult with a house and a job. If you want to ride sexy neighbor’s face until the break of dawn, it’s none of your brother’s damn business. You know I love Nate, but he has to let go at some point. You’re not some little girl he has to take care of anymore.”

“I know that. But this is different. Trust me.”

“Because of Jaxon?”

My shoulders tense up right away. The room's playful atmosphere disappears, leaving me breathless. Just hearing his name makes my blood run cold and bile creep up my throat.

“I don't want to talk about him, Allie.” I set my mug down on the table a little harder than necessary and stand up. “I'm gonna take a shower.”

Allie immediately backpedals. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Em, don’t shut down on me. I can’t do that again.”

Somehow, we went from our usual playful bickering to intense anger in a matter of seconds. That damn name makes me want to run and hide where no one can find me. Or lash out at Allie for bringing him up. But she doesn't deserve that. She's the only person on this planet who knows what I went through in college. She was the one who comforted me, holding me and stroking my hair when I cried until I was hyperventilating. Whenever he found a new way to hurt me, she would put the pieces back together. She never judged me, only worried about me from a place of love, never pity. She even helped me keep everything a secret from Nate. One of my worst fears back then was that Nate would find out what Jaxon did, and he'd end up in jail for murder.

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