Page 57 of Quarantine Crush
His voice cracks, but it’s nothing compared to my fractured heart.
At this moment, I’m done. Done with being rejected. Done with carrying this torch for someone who will never care for me like I care for him. And I know I can’t do both anymore. I can’t be “just friends” with someone I love. So I force out the words I know I need to say but hate the way they feel in my mouth.
“When this quarantine is over, so is our supposed friendship.”
17
Knox
Ithought being stuck in quarantine together after that awkward kiss was the worst possible scenario. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Stuck in an apartment with my ex-best friend who acts like I’m dead to her is living hell. Or maybe it’s my own guilt that has me wanting to climb the walls. Either way, I get zero sleep that night, and by morning, I’m groggy, grumpy, and not sure how I’m going to survive four more days of this. Not that I don’t deserve it.
I fucked up.
That much I can admit.
By wanting to protect Emy and our friendship, I’d killed it. I’d lost her.
It’s my worst nightmare come to life. And to top it off, I’m being forced to sit here and continue to live it. Four more days. That’s how long I have left before our two-week quarantine period ends and I can join my parents at the lake house.
Then again, Emy’s going to the same place. Which means there will be no hiding what happened between us. Maybe if I warn the dads now and give them time to cool off, they won’t murder me.
I wait until Emy’s outside on the balcony, working, before making the call.
Dad answers as chipper as ever. “Hey, Knox, what’s up?”
“Dad, I need to talk to you.” I brace myself. “It’s about Emy.”
“This sounds serious.”
“It is.”
There’s a pause, and then he sighs. “Joe and I were hoping things would change in the light of a new day.”
“Wait. What?”
Confusion swirls within me as my dad switches the call over to video. And when I catch sight of the view on his end, Emy’s dad is sitting down beside him.
Shit.
“Hey, Knox, what’s up?” Joe asks–an exact copy of my own father’s greeting. Those two spend way too much time together.
“Hey, Mr. Hess. I was calling because–” I break off, steeling myself. If I’ve ever done something as scary as this, I can’t remember it now.
“Because?” my dad prompts.
“Look, you two are friends, right?” I blurt. “And you don’t have sex.”
The dads exchange a look I can’t decipher.
“Uh, no. We don’t,” Joe says slowly.
“Were you under the impression we did?” my dad asks, blinking warily now.
“No, of course not.” I run my hand through my hair. “I only mean that a deep friendship like yours is possible without romance . . . right?”
“Sure it is. But that’s because we put the bro inbromance,” my dad says, grinning.
Hilarious. I roll my eyes.
