Page 42 of The Last Thing
I stick my lip out. “Thanks, buddy.”
“So much nicer than threatening my balls.”
“Would it be the worst thing to actually have feelings for this guy?” Jade asks.
“Yes,” I say dramatically. Because not only am I chaotic, I’m a massive drama queen at the moment.
They share a look, then they both whisper, “Afraid to fall.”
Jade glances at me, smirking. “And he fell first and hard.”
“He’s going to break through her walls.”
I take a loud slurp of my milkshake and glare at them.
“Glad you two are having fun with your romance tropes. I’m going to keep living in the real world.”
“No, you’re living in delusional Hallie land if you think you can keep the feelings you don’t want to admit you have for him locked down,” Justin says.
“You’re annoying.” I take a sip of my shake. “But I’ve really missed you.”
Jade and Justin exchange a glance, then Jade hops up again and kisses Justin on the cheek before she leaves the room.
Justin slides closer. “You okay, Hal? Besides the obvious chaos right now. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t lie to me. I’ve known you too long, and it’s never worked. All this aside, the last few times I saw you, you had more of an edge than normal.”
“Well, that’s what happens when everyone leaves you behind.”
“Hallie.”
Fuck the stupid tears in my eyes.
Justin wraps an arm around me. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
“Why? You needed to do what was right for you.”
“But I didn’t reach out enough. Didn’t call or visit enough. I’m sorry for that. We’ve always been close, and I consider you my little sister. I hate that you ever felt left behind.”
I shrug. “It is what it is. I’ve been dead set on avoiding love. Everyone else left to find where their hearts were supposed to be. With mine closed off, it’s no wonder I ended up there alone.”
“You didn’t close off from us, though. You act like love is something to be scared of, but that’s the exact thing you’ve been missing from all of us.”
“You’re my family. It’s different.”
“I don’t think it is. And one day, you’re going to have to make a choice—do you want to become bitter and closed off or do you want to open your heart to something more? Either way, we’ll all still love you, but you should be happy too.”
“Can I tell you a secret?”
“Always.”
“This isn’t how I saw anything going. Sometimes it’s scary. Everything’s chaotic and I have no idea what I’m doing. But despite all that, I like where I am now. As crazy as it sounds, I think I’m happy.”
He chuckles and ruffles my hair. “I love that for you.”
“Twirl me!”Sophia grabs my hand, and I spin her around as we dance to Taylor Swift.
