Page 64 of The Love Trick

Okay, maybe Iwilllet go of her hand.

I sigh, trying to conjure up the words to tell her. “You know, we’ve been friends for, like, three years now.”

She smiles. “Almost four, actually.”

“Okay, yeah, almost four,” I amend. “And they’ve been the best four years of my life. You’re like family now.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet.” She beams, her bright blue eyes alight from the dim glow of the moon above us. I swallow hard, trying not to look at her luscious lips, begging me to kiss them.

Holy smokes, I really want to kiss her.

My heart throbs in my chest.

C’mon, Blaze. Hold it together.

If I can’t tell her that I’m in love with her right now, then I’m not going toevertake the step.

“Blaze?” Addy tilts her head. “What’s up? You said you need to talk? What is it?”

“I just love you,” I blurt out, feeling my face grow hot.

She’s quiet for a minute, and thenlaughs.“I love you, too. I’m so glad we got that off our chests since you always say that we’re like family. Family loves each other.”

“Uh…” I trail off as I realize she misconstrued what I’m saying. “No, I—”

Addy’s phone text alert goes off. She groans as she checks the notification. “Oh my gosh. It’s mymother.She’s so dead set that this Archer guy is going to be the one.” She peers up at me, shaking her head. “And for the record, I kind of hope he is, too, because I’m so tired of being forever alone. I mean, Archer and I were friends as kids. He supposedly had a crush on me in grade school, but he never told me. Cuz, you know, the moment that someone has a crush that’s one-sided,everythinggoes sideways.”

My lips part, wanting to shout at her that I’minlove with her, but I can’t seem to find the nerve—and her words give me pause. “So, if one of your guy friends liked you as more than a friend, you wouldn’t be friends with them anymore?”

She furrows her brow, looking up at me. “Um, it would probably be awkward.” Addy goes back to her phone, her fingers viciously typing something out to her mom. “But thankfully, that’s never happened.”

“Yeah, for sure.” I swallow the rejection and stare off into the yard, trying to look at anything and everythingbutAddy. I had it in my head that everything was going to go my way tonight, but clearly…

I was dead wrong.

There’s no way I would ever want to lose Addy over me being in love with her.

I pick at the label on my beer and vow to bury these feelings for her deep down in my chest. Maybe if I bury it deep enough, I’ll get over her.

And I’ll forget this moment ever happened.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Addy

Istareatthetext I still haven’t replied to and lock my phone screen. It’s been fifteen hours since Blaze sent it, and now it’s way too late to reply. Well, maybe it’s not, but I don’t know what to say. I’m still trying to process what happened between us in Hawaii. It’s only been a few days.

And now, I have to suffer through brunch with my mother—who still thinks Blaze and I are together.

Ugh.

“Over here!” Mom waves at me obnoxiously. “Addy!”

I smooth out my freshly done hair and brush the dog hair from my T-shirt. I know what I look like… And it’s written all over my mom’s face as soon as I sit down.

“Oh my. Are you not feeling well?”

I grab the wine glass full of water. “Not really. I have a headache.”

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