Page 40 of My Summer Fling

“I’ve got this, Teddy. I’m going to make this right.”

“I hope you do.”

We say our goodbyes and I hang up. The house is too quiet without Millie and Annie running around. Without Millie singing loud enough for the neighbors to hear. I glance over to the steps, and my heart hurts when I don’t see Annie’s cute face staring back at me.

“Time to make it right, Noah,” I say out loud to myself and then get to work.

I’m sittingon Tiffany’s couch with Annie at my feet and Tiff on the other side. We’re covered in a mass of blankets andPractical Magicis playing on the TV. I’ve pretty much told her everything that happened, and she welcomed me with open arms.

I don’t know what I’d do without her.

I’ve finally stopped crying, my sole focus going completely into Sandra Bullock’s love story on the screen. My face is raw from wiping at my tears, and I’m still sniffing every once in a while. Tiffany doesn’t say anything, just lets me sink into myself for a little bit.

She lives in a small apartment downtown, so there’s no spare bedroom. I’ll be living off her sofa for the next two weeks, something my back is not looking forward to. But anything is better than staying under the same roof with Noah.

I choke back a sob when his name passes through my mind. Tiffany reaches out and takes my hand. That one little act of comfort forces the floodgates to open, and my tears start pouring out all over again. And I know what you’re thinking.

Millie, you got yourself into this mess. You said your ass was grown enough to handle this and you let your coochie lead the way.

I know. Okay? I fucking know.

Clearly I was not ready for this type of arrangement with Noah.

In the back of my mind, Miley is singing “Wrecking Ball” right into my ear.

“Sorry,” Tiff says, picking up her phone that’s been going off pretty consistently since I got here. “It’s just Roman.” Her face turns a little pink at the admission but it’s the perfect distraction.

“Roman?” I squeal, wiping away my tears and letting a genuine smile come out.

“Yeah,” she says, rolling her eyes in a dismissive gesture. “We hung out for a bit after you two left that night, and he gave me his number before he headed back to his hotel on the mainland. He’s been texting me ever since. He even checked in the next day to let me know he got home safely.”

She looks genuinely happy, and I don’t know a whole lot about Roman, but I do know that both Teddy and Noah speak very highly of him and always have. If they end up turning into something, I think it’ll be great for Tiffany.

“Look how happy you are!” I tell her. “You’re smiling like an absolute idiot.”

We both laugh.

“He lives in California, though. And I don’t see myself ever leaving this island. It’s my home.”

“Well, not everything has to be serious. A little flirting over text isn’t a bad thing. And who knows? Maybe you can have a little one-night stand after the wedding?” I wag my eyebrows at her and she laughs.

“He’s so handsome,” she whispers excitedly like he can hear her. “And he’s very caring.” She hesitates for a second. “He’s asked about you…”

“Me? Why?”

“Well, I guess Noah called your brother and then also told Roman that something happened. He’s worried about you. He knows that Noah fucked up big time.”

“Excuse me … he what?” My voice goes so high and so loud that I’m pretty sure I reached a whole new decibel unknown to man.

“He … uh … called your brother.”

“That littlerat!” I groan and fling my head down into my hands, rubbing my eyes violently with the heels of my palms. “Now I have to explain to my brother why I let his best friend fuck me six ways to Sunday!”

“Okay, ew,” she says as she rubs my arm. “You do not have to explain that to your brother because that’s gross, and I can guarantee that he isn’t going to want to know. And it’s none of his business, honestly, Millie. You and Noah were two grown, consenting adults, and what you two choose to do with each other have no impact on your brother.”

I groan again and let my head flop back up. It doesn’t matter if Teddyshouldn’tcare about me and Noah.Icare. I never wanted any of this to come out right before the wedding. It’s just going to put more stress on Teddy. And if he feels like he’s going to have to choose a side? I don’t want to put him through anything like that.

This is why you don’t fuck around with your brother’s friends. If it goes sour, it can take everyone down with you. I didn’t ever want to tell him unless Noah and I were going to make an actual go of it.

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