Page 60 of The Love Trick

“That’s all you’re going to say?” I exasperate. “Do you not realize that I might’ve screwed up our friendship? My anxiety has been through the roof. I can’t stop spiraling, imagining every possible worst-case scenario. She’s acting weird now, and I’m at a complete loss about where to go from here. And on top of that, now I have thesefeelings…”

“Whoa.” Dylan holds up his hands. “I have not had enough beer for this kind of conversation yet. But…” He breathes out a sigh. “We all know you’re in love with Addy. I don’t know how you’re onlyjustnow realizing this.”

“Uh…”

“Uh, okay, so youdon’twant to be more than friends with her?” Dylan cocks his head. “Is that what this is about? Trust me, dude, it’s hard to just be friends once you cross that line.”

“And you know this, how?”

“I just know it,” he says flatly. “Why don’t you want to be more than friends with Addy? The two of you are perfect for each other.”

I shake my head. “Because, even if I wanted to, I don’t knowhowto navigate a romantic relationship. And I’m not gonna go experimenting on Addy of all people. She’s the most important person in my life. I can’t risk losing her.”

“That sounds like a man who knows how to make a relationship work,” Dylan counters. “A man who will do what it takes to keep the girl. A man who’s in love.”

I let out a flustered sigh. “You sure are great at making assumptions. But what you don’t seem to understand is that Ican’tbe more than friends with Addy. She’s my only family outside of the team, the only constant in my life. If I lost her, I’d have nothing.”

He shrugs. “So then marry her.”

I sit in stunned silence, mulling over his words. The vision of Addy walking down the aisle toward me in a white gown to becomemy wifesends a rush of warmth through my veins. But just as fast as the thought comes, the tidal wave of fear rushes in.

Because the reality is, it’s not that simple.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Addy

I’mnotokay.

Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Blaze’s face hovering over mine, his lips brushing against my own. And then his look of horror as he pulled away. Which is why I’ve been avoiding him for the past two days since we got back from Hawaii, declining all his invitations to hang out and opting to spend time alone in my apartment instead.

My plane therapist would probably be so disappointed in me right now.

As much as I’d love to take her advice, confronting your feelings head-on is much easier said than done. I’m not really in the mood to embarrass myself anymore. I’ve done enough of that to last a lifetime already by asking Blaze to be my fake boyfriend, and then daring him to kiss me.

“We’re best friends. Best friends don’t kiss each other.”

His words replay like a broken record in my mind. Except, what he doesn’t seem to understand is thateverythinghas changed for me. And I don’t know how to just be friends with him without it shattering my heart.

I sigh and open up my suitcase, finally tackling the unpacking I’ve been putting off.

“Maybe this will help me clear my head,” I mutter to myself. But as I pick up the little black dress out of my bag, I can smell Blaze’s cologne all over it, which serves as yet another painful reminder of the feelings I realized I still have for him. Only now, they’re like ten times as strong, and Istilldon’t know how to move forward.

Ugh.

I drop my little black dress back on the bed and collapse onto it, staring at the ceiling. And finally, for the first time since this whole thing transpired, I burst into tears, letting the heartache come in waves. It feels overdue, and I let myself cry until there’s nothing left. Then, I pick myself up, grab a Ben and Jerry’s out of my freezer, and head to the couch to lose myself in a movie.

As I take a seat, my phone vibrates. I cringe, expecting something from Blaze. But it’s not him. I take a long, ragged breath, and answer the call.

“Hey Penny,” I say weakly. “What’s up?”

“Girl, I haven’t heard anything from you since you left for Hawaii. I’ve been wondering how that whole fake dating thing with Blaze turned out. How did your family handle it?”

I’m silent for a few beats. And then, I burst into tears all over again.

“Oh my gosh, Addy! What’s wrong?”

I spend the next hour explaining every single little detail of the time I spent with Blaze. I sigh when I’m done. “I’m in love with him, Penny. I know I am. And after all this, I don’t know how to go back to just being hisfriend…”

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