Page 62 of Don't Puck His Best Friend
My spine goes rigid, but I don’t turn around. I can’t. I’m still staring at Liam, whose face is twisted in something between furyand heartbreak, and I’m suddenly, terrifyingly aware that I’m standing on the edge of something I can’t take back.
My pulse hammers in my throat as I swallow hard, finally understanding the magnitude of what I’ve gotten myself into. Cole’s footsteps approach behind me, and I can feel Maddie’s growing concern, and Sirus’s confused stare, but all I can think is…
What the hell have I done?
28
The Truth
Cole
InoticeSirusthroughthe restaurant window first, striding past with his brows pulled together in a way that screams something’s wrong. The easy conversation at our table fades into background noise as unease settles in my chest.
“I’ll be right back,” I mutter, pushing back my chair.
The cold air hits me as I step outside, and I scan the street until I spot them. Sirus’s standing a few feet behind what looks like some kind of standoff, and my stomach drops when I realize who’s involved.
Liam’s positioned a few feet away from Harper, eyes locked on hers with an intensity I’ve never seen from him—not even inthe middle of a game when everything’s on the line. There’s something electric and dangerous in the air between them, like they’re having a conversation the rest of us can’t hear.
Maddie’s nearby, arms crossed, looking between them like she’s guarding a live grenade that could explode at any second.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
I step closer, confusion knotting my stomach. The air between Harper and Liam is thick, suffocating, like there’s no oxygen left for anyone else to breathe. Harper’s eyes flick toward me for just a second, then snap back to Liam’s face, and that’s when my chest starts to tighten with something I don’t want to name.
“What’s going on?” I ask again, keeping my voice steady despite the alarm bells going off in my head.
Liam’s gaze doesn’t leave Harper. His jaw flexes, and I can see the muscle jumping under his skin.
“Are you going to tell him?” Liam says, his voice sharp enough to cut through the night air.
My pulse stutters. “Tell me what?”
Liam finally looks at me, and there’s something like fury and regret tangled together in his expression. Something that makes my blood run cold.
“She’sTrouble,” he says, and the nickname hits me like a slap to the face.
My brain immediately flashes to every conversation we’ve had over the past few weeks. Every time Liam mentioned his mystery girl, every description that suddenly makes terrible sense.Smart as hell. Mouthy in the best way. Way too good in bed to be completely sane.
“She’syourTrouble?” I ask, the words feeling thick and foreign in my mouth. The realization is settling like a rock in my stomach, but I need to hear it confirmed. Need someone to tell me I’m wrong, that this is some kind of sick joke.
But nobody says anything.
I turn to Harper, searching her face for denial, for explanation, for anything that would make this make sense. “Is that true? You’ve been sleeping with him this entire time?”
Harper’s lips part like she’s going to speak, but no words come. Just that guilty silence that twists my stomach into knots and confirms everything I don’t want to believe.
“This is all my fault,” Maddie blurts suddenly, stepping between us with her hands raised like she’s trying to stop a fight. “Cole, this is my fault.”
My eyes snap to her. “What?”
“When I found out Liam took her home from that party, I told her she needed someone... sensible. Someone stable.” The words rush out of her like she’s been holding them back for weeks. “I thought if she met you, if she saw what a real relationship could look like—”
Liam lets out a bitter scoff that cuts through her explanation.
“I thought I was helping,” Maddie continues, her voice cracking. “I thought—”
“You thought wrong,” I cut in, the betrayal sitting heavy and sharp in my chest like broken glass.
