Page 79 of Not So Happily Ever After (British Bad Boys)
“You fell hard, didn’t you, babe?”
There’s no point denying it any longer. “I never got over him the first time.”
“I’ve been thinking about everything you told me about what happened at the party. And honestly, I don’t get it. I mean okay, so it was kind of rude of him to say that about your degree, but the point is he was right, wasn’t he?”
My best friend isn’t supposed to be taking Will’s side, except I can’t disagree with her. “Suppose,” I mutter.
“And then he was really nice about your art. Like, I don’t know, he reallybelievesin you.”
I can’t deny it. Itwasa nice thing he said. “You’re really not helping.”
Brooklyn ignores me. “So how did you go from that to him bringing your mum into it? It doesn’t make sense. Like he went off on a tangent or something.”
That’s because I left out the bit where I mortified myself by dragging up the past to him. I might as well tell her. It seems stupid not to, now. “That’s because we were supposed to meet up the day after we first slept together. And he stood me up. I know it’s dumb to hold a grudge for so long, but…” I slump forward, defeated. Itisstupid and immature of me, but the way he callously shrugged off the fact he’d forgotten about it hurt. A lot.
“Oh.” Brooklyn sounds faintly pissed off now.Great going, Mac. “You’ve never told me that.” She sniffs, and there’s an uncomfortable silence that I don’t know how to break. Then she turns to me. “Still doesn’t make sense. What’s standing you up got to do with your mum?”
“Nothing.” Seriously, why can’t she just let it go? It’s not like it’s important. He forgot about our date. End of story. “Apparentlyshit happened.”
Repeating those words that he basically spat in my face makes my chest ache. He couldn’t even be nice about it—which actually doesn’t make sense, now I think about it.
“Shit happened on Boxing Day? What, did he go out and get plastered?” There’s an edge of contempt in her voice now, which should soothe my wounded feelings, but something’s buzzing around the fringes of my brain. Something I can’t quite…
“Fuck me.Boxing Day.” Icy horror ripples over my arms as it all falls into place. His mum’s stroke happened on Boxing Day. I just never connectedwhichBoxing Day he was talking about.
“Huh?”
I can’t betray Will’s confidence, but I have to tell her something.
“He told me the other week there was a problem with his mum. I just didn’t realize…ohshit.”
He must’ve thought I was the most entitled bitch ever. Throwing a tantrum because he didn’t show up, when he’d been out of his mind after finding his mum unconscious.
For the first time in ages, I think back to the next time we met. It was at one of Lucas’s friend’s house, for a New Year’s Eve party. I’d avoided him all night, but we eventually bumped into each other just before the stroke of midnight.
He’d looked exhausted and wasn’t his usual gregarious self. He’d called and texted me a couple of times during the week, and I hadn’t replied because he hadn’t apologized. And when he didn’t even mention why he hadn’t turned up that day, but instead asked me if I regretted what had happened between us, the word vomit just spewed forth in a torrent.
Mac, you twat.
When he’d really needed me, I was as supportive as his cold-hearted ex. And even though I didn’t know the reason why he hadn’t been able to make our date, that doesn’t make me feel any better about the way I behaved.
The time we spent together this month was only temporary, but it was lovely. It’s not his fault my crappy plan to get him out of my system failed so spectacularly.
I want us to stay friends.Even if it breaks the rest of my heart into a thousand pieces.
My phone rings, and I stare at the ID as disbelief washes through me. Brooklyn leans against my arm so she can see. “Wow. How freaky is that? It’s like heknowsyou were talking about him.”
Any other time, I’d scoff because that’s way too woo-woo for me. Except a spooky prickle scuttles over my head and along the back of my neck.
Itisweird. Part of me doesn’t even want to answer.
Just do it.“Hey.”
“Hey, Mac.”
God, I’ve missed the sound of his voice.
“Listen,” he says, “I’m outside right now. I need to speak to you. Can I meet you somewhere?”
