Page 32 of Entangled By You
Harlow didn’t question the random lunch invite, probably assuming I just happened to have the day off. She wouldn’t be wrong. Technically, I do. And every day from here on out… until I can find something new.
“Hey, sorry I’m late! I was working on a project at home.”
She breezes in, smelling faintly of dry shampoo and coconut lotion, leans down to kiss my cheek, and slides into the booth across from me like she owns the place. The red vinyl squeaks beneath her as she settles in.
“It’s fine. I just got here and ordered our drinks.” I pick at the edge of the napkin in front of me, trying to look casual.
She narrows her eyes at me like she’s trying to x-ray scan my thoughts.
“You look tired,” she finally announces, arms crossing over her chest as she leans back.
“Thanks, Mom,” I deadpan. “Tell me more about how I look like shit. It’s great for my already sour mood.”
“Damn, babe. I was just messing with you. You look great.”
That bright, too-wide smile sugarcoats the truth. She lies so smoothly I almost want to believe her.
“Shut up. I do not. Yesterday was garbage, and I didn’t sleep more than an hour because of it.”
“What’s going on? Pierce being a dick again? Want me to give him a boot to the ass?”
There’s a spark of mischief in her voice that makes me laugh despite myself. The waitress arrives with our drinks—sweet teas with lemon wedges—and takes our order before disappearing with a promise of a quick return. The pub is dim and mostly empty, the kind of place where light filters in through heavy curtains and music plays just loud enough to blur the silence.
“No, it’s not Pierce. He’s… annoyingly the only thing going right in my life right now.” I sigh, swirling my straw through the melting ice. “Though, I think the man’s been body-snatched because I never expected him to do half the shit he does for me lately.”
“Really?” Harlow raises a brow. “He used to worship the ground you walked on, Lexi. He was so smitten, he let you get away with anything back then.”
Right. I’d almost managed to scrub that fact from my memory. It was easier that way, forgetting all the sweet, selfless things he used to do when we were teenagers. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised he slipped back into that pattern.
But after the emotionally armored way he’d acted when we first ran into each other again, what was I supposed to think?
I wonder if he treated other women like they were the most important thing he could care for over the years?
That thought hits like a sucker punch. A dull ache unfurls in my chest, followed by a twinge of something hot and sharp—jealousy.Gross. It’s not fair to feel this way. I ended it. I walked away. He had every right to move on.
Still, the idea that he might’ve shown someone else the kind of tenderness he shows me now… It makes my stomach turn. And I hate that.
“So, if it’s not Pierce, what is it?” Harlow nudges, pulling me out of the downward spiral.
“I got fired last night.” The words fall flat. “And now I have no idea what I’m going to do. I have zero savings, this baby is only a few months away, and I’m in some fucked-up situationship with the man I never stopped loving?—”
Her eyes go wide and her lips seal tight, like she’s physically holding back an ear-piercing scream. I hear the words I just said bounce back in my mind and instantly regret them. I shake my head like I can erase them from existence.
“You need to stop torturing yourself,” she says. “You broke up six years ago. You’ve both grown. You’ve both seen some serious shit. But now? Now you’re here. You can either lean into it and thank the universe for handing you another chance… or keep paddling against the current and drown, because you’re too stubborn to admit you still love him.”
“Jesus. Tell me how you really feel.”
Not that I expected anything less from my best friend.
“I love Pierce. But obviously, I love you more,” she says, tone gentler. “I always thought breaking up with him was a mistake. I know losing your dad like that messed you up, but Ialways figured you’d find your way back to each other eventually.” She shrugs just as the waitress sets down our food, the plates steaming and fragrant.
“You sound like a sappy married person. I’m not loving the vibes, Lo.”
“Get used to it, babes.” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. “But seriously. Stop getting in your own way. You want him. He wants you. So… what’s the harm in being happy?”
If only she knew. If she had any idea about the secrets I’ve kept locked away, she might not be so quick to offer fairytale endings. I’ve buried it deep, convinced myself I had to go it alone to figure things out. But after the venomous threats by Evan’s mom, I know it’s not over.
I thought I was finally free—maybe not mentally, but at least physically—from the shit pile I’d created for myself.
