Page 55 of Wildest Forever

“Keep forgetting you're married,” his eyes find mine and I don't miss the slither of sadness that fills them just for a moment.

“Me too man,” I laugh, rubbing my hand around the back of my head.

“How is it?”

“How's what?”

“Married life?” and I twist my lips.

“Bit hard to say, we don't know each other, it's one of those... I did it because her granddad asked me too, but I'm also kind of enjoying it if that makes sense?”

“Yeah it does,” he nods.

“But it's all so new, so fresh... I have no idea what I am doing. We're just at the tip of the iceberg, there is so much that is going to be going down in the next few weeks that I am just trying to mentally prepare myself for it.”

“Can imagine it was a bit of a shock to the system.”

“Yeah,” I laugh softly.

“I never thought you would settle down,” he twists back to look at me and my brow raises.

“Nah?”

“Nope, you were so hung up on Aspen, I honestly never thought you would have moved on.”

I laugh a little, but my stomach knots.

“Look, me and Aspen...” I pause and he holds his hand up.

“I don't need to know the details, I swear I am still scarred from the night in the Boot where you confessed everything.”

I roll my eyes.

“I wasn't going into details, all I was going to say was, me and Aspen, we were friends... but then things happened the way they did. It was never going to be me, we all knew that, I just didn't want to admit it. But I kind of wrote myself off for finding love. Once you've been on the receiving end of unrequited love, then well, you kind of don't want to put yourself through that again. She hurt me.”

I pause for a moment and inhale heavily.

“You hurt her too man,” Austin grits his teeth, lips turning down.

“I know.”

“You drove her away...” and I can see the annoying smirk that is teasing the corner of his lips.

“Wasn't just me... Riggs played a part in that.”

“We all did in a way I suppose...” Austin trails off and looks at the photo of Harlow that sits on his desk. “God, we were so young and naïve when all that happened. We were terrors growing up, we were so flippant with our choices...”

“Yes we were,” I sigh, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms across my chest.

“If you could go back in time, would you do it again?”

I blink at him, brows knitted.

“Do what again?”

“Take Aspen to prom... cross the bro code line.”

My breath rattles in my chest.

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