Page 38 of Guarded Love

I roll my eyes.

Me: Nothing happened.

Me: Except he told me something personal.

Me: And we almost talked about That Night.

Me: But nothing happened.

I watch the typing bubbles appear and disappear three times before her response comes through.

Ari: THAT'S NOT NOTHING.

I sigh, grabbing my coffee mug and walking back to my desk. My phone buzzes again. Ari isn’t going to leave me alone.

Ari: Are you going to tell me what he said or do I have to interrogate you?

I consider ignoring her, but that would only make things worse. She'd probably show up at my door and demand that I answer her.

Me: He told me he has panic attacks. Including before games sometimes.

Me: And it’s one of the reasons why he's so methodical about everything.

I feel slightly bad for telling Ari about something Blaise suffers from, but who wouldn’t tell their best friend if they knewshe wouldn’t spread it? I take a long sip of coffee, watching the bubbles appear and disappear again.

Ari: Wow. That's...not what I expected.

Ari: Did he say why he told YOU specifically?

I stare at my wall as I consider her question. Why HAD he told me? I'd pushed for something real, but I hadn't expected him to actually deliver.

Me: I asked him to say something real versus the corporate answers he was giving me.

Me: And then we kind of talked about the kiss.

Me: But my phone went off with the acceptance email about Puerto Rico.

Ari: WILLOW! You can't just drop that and not elaborate!

Ari: What did he say about the kiss??

With a heavy sigh, I run my hand across my face. He said it wasn't nothing. That there were lines you shouldn't cross. That it was complicated.

Me: Not much. Just excuses about why he pulled away.

Me: Knox. Timing. The usual bullshit.

Ari: And what did YOU say?

I groan. She knows me too well.

Me: I said they were bullshit excuses.

Ari: AND THEN??? I swear you’re worse than a season finale of any drama in primetime.

Me: And then nothing. My phone went off, I told him I got accepted to "something," and I left.

Three dots appear, then disappear, then appear again. This is becoming a habit.

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