Page 82 of Dirty Little Mistake

"I think that it doesn't matter as long as I'm with Owen."

"So what are you going to do?"

I hugged a throw pillow to my chest, my voice barely above a whisper. "Nothing." I shrugged. "I do really like Owen, and we are best friends, and friends make the best relationships, right?" She opened her mouth, and I shook my head. "Enough of this. Let's watch the movie."

I wasn't sure what was going to happen with Owen, but I knew I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Chapter 39

Trystan

The bar was packed, bodies pressed against each other, a living, breathing mass celebrating Jax's last night out as a bachelor. The air was thick with the smell of stale beer and cheap cologne. Neon beer signs and bar lights cast a glow over the crowd.

The bass from the speakers pulsed through the floorboards, vibrating up through my feet and into my chest.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and checked it for the four-hundredth time for a response from Cam.

Still nothing...

It had been two months since she left me standing on the beach, and I texted her dozens of times a day, and I'd only gotten one text back that said, 'I am with Owen now.'

"Hey, Trystan," a woman shouted over the music. My gaze lifted from my phone to a short blonde wearing a tiny, tight, short black dress, who looked familiar, but if I did know her, I didn't know her name.

"What's up?" I offered a brief nod before returning to the screen.

"So, your brother is getting married." She shifted closer, her perfume cutting through the stale beer air. My thumb kept scrolling through old messages. "I guess you're next." Her manicured nail tapped my phone screen, forcing my attention up. "Do you want to get a drink?"

"No." The corner of my mouth lifted in a forced smile as I scanned the room. My gaze snagged on Owen's profile at the bar. "I'm... I'm with someone."

"Aww." She pressed her lips together, fake diamonds glinting at her throat as she stepped back. My attention had already returned to my phone screen, Cam's last message burning into my retinas. The blonde's heels clicked away across the hardwood, fading into the bass throb.

I clicked on Cam's contact and opened the messages.

Trystan: I miss you

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and picked up my beer from the tall round table beside me. I brought the bottle to my lips as my gaze landed back on Owen, and my lip curled into a snarl before I took a drink.

Harlow sidled up next to me, her eyes following my line of sight. "It's time to tuck your tail between your legs and walk away, bro."

I flicked her a look before my gaze returned to Owen. "And why would I do that?"

"Because you fucked up and lost." Harlow's shoulders rose and fell in a nonchalant shrug, but her eyes held a hint of sympathy. "He won."

I shook my head. "They're only together because she's trying to convince herself that she's over me."

"Maybe she is."

I huffed out a laugh. "She begged me to fuck her the night before they got together." Harlow's eyes widened. "Does that sound like she's over me?"

"At the beach house?" I didn't respond. "Did you?" I flashed her a knowing glance. "Holy shit." She stared forward, her gaze lingering on Owen.

"You still have a crush on him, don't you?"

Harlow's drink stopped halfway to her lips. "What?" Her eyes darted to me, then to her glass. "I don't..." The ice clinked as she set it down too hard.

A grin tugged at my mouth. "Yes, you do."

Pink crept up her neck as she tugged at her necklace. "Maybe when I was like twelve." Her fingers traced patterns in the condensation on her glass, shoulders hunched. "But I think I've moved on."

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