Page 77 of Friends Don't

Eventually, I turn my head. She meets my gaze. We’re shoulder to shoulder, so our noses are less than six inches apart. It’s intimate. Safe.

“Feels like a lot longer to me—that we’ve known each other, I mean.”

Her eyes are wide and glued to my face. She nods.

“I’ve never told anyone this, Boo. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t. But you’re right. I didn’t cheat on Tricia.” I swallow. “She cheated on me.”

I turn my head and face the sky again.

Poppy finds my hand and holds it. She squeezes once, as if to say she’s listening, but she doesn’t speak. She’s waiting on me to continue.

“We had been dating for several years at that point, and she was dropping hints left and right that she was expecting a proposal. I met with the local jeweler to see what my options were. He and I went way back, and he was willing to give me a deal so I could get something real nice for her.”

I feel Poppy’s gaze on me.

I sigh and turn to her. “And yeah, if you’ve heard about me stealing that necklace, yes, it was the same jeweler. That’s a long story in and of itself.”

“I’ve got all night,” Poppy says quietly.

I nod in acknowledgement, grateful she’s willing to hear me out. But I’ve got to get the truth about Tricia out now before I lose my nerve. Why am I nervous? I didn’t do anything wrong.

“Anyway. Tricia was home from school for winter break. Her parents were picking up Collin from school, and I showed up at her house to find her in bed with another guy.”

Poppy squeezes my hand tighter.

“The thing is, Tricia and I were never together…like that. Her parents are super conservative, and we had decided to wait.”

I feel more than see Poppy nod.

“So I was feeling all the things. Shock. Confusion. Betrayal. Anger. I left without a word, but Tricia ran out after me. She begged me to talk to her, begged me to promise her I wouldn’t tell anyone. If her parents found out, she was sure they’d disown her. I shook her off. I couldn’t talk to her then. I got in my car and drove away.

“I left town for the weekend. When I came back, I walked into Romeo’s, and I knew instantly something was off. The stares. The dirty looks. The rumor was already swirling that I had been the one who was unfaithful to Tricia.”

“Oh, Big.”

“There was absolutely nothing I could do at that point. Everyone believed what they heard, and if I would have tried to dispute the rumor, I would have had to throw Tricia under the bus. I was upset and heartbroken, sure, but I had no intention of ruining her life over it. So…”

“So you stayed quiet,” Poppy whispers, “for all these years.”

I nod.And ruined my own life instead.

That’s how it has always felt.

Until now.

Poppy makes me feel like all isn’t lost after all.

“I haven’t dated since,” I explain. “Mostly because who would want to align themselves with a supposed cheater?”

She scooches forward. “Sit up, please.”

I raise up onto my elbows. “Why?”

She yanks me fully upright. “Because I want to hug you.”

She’s freakishly strong when she puts her mind to something, and before I know it, she has her arms wrapped around my waist. She’s squeezing me so tightly I feel my skin pulling underneath my shirt.

I don’t think as I drag her into my lap. It feels so good to be hugged like this. To have someone care. To finally have the truth out in the open.

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