Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
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"I HAVE A DATE WITH MASON."
My heart stops along with the air that attempts to fill my breathless lungs. I jerk my attention to Pepper lounging across my bed with a girlish smile as if this is a good thing.
"What?" I demand a little harsher than intended.
What happened that fast? Just days ago she was upset with him, and I convinced her to break things off once and for all. How could they have moved from being broken up to dating so soon? I thought I had more time to be with her.
Pepper rolls to her back and places her hands over her chest. There's a delicate smile on her lips and somehow seeing her so happy hurts. It hurts so much because I know this look all too well. She wore an identical smile all summer long when she and Mason were at the height of their relationship.
"He asked me to see a musical. A musical, Lucas." She kicks her legs up as if saying it alone is not enough expression. "Mason hates musicals."
"Shouldn't you hate him?" I reply cynically and find myself kneeling next to her. "I thought we agreed that you weren't healthy for each other. When did things change?"
She scrunches her lips and turns her head to lay her eyes, stained with stars, on me. "We're making progress now. We apologized for the fight and agreed on a compromise. We'll still see each other and I'll let him handle whatever is keeping him away from me. I think I'm getting close to the truth anyway. There's a part of me that feels like it has something to do with his parents."
How can she be suspicious? Did Mason hint around to something?
"I don't think you should get your hopes up." I push her legs, attempting to sit next to her, and she wriggles over. "What if he's just trying to keep you on the back burner until he finds a girl he really wants to be with?"
She shakes her head. "He said those girls mean nothing to him."
"Says all guys ever." I laugh so forcefully my insides cringe. "What if he's just leading you on?"
To my surprise, Pepper's smile only grows. She runs one of her soft hands up my arm and squeezes it. "I appreciate your concern, Luc. I really believe he loves me though. I just need to be patient and trust him while he figures this out."
No. I don't want you to.
Why can't you like me instead?
I'm right here, Pepper.
"I don't think you should trust him so easily." My smile strains to remain firm. "Plus, we're still figuring things out between us, right?"
Pepper's gaze moves from mine and she begins fidgeting with her fingers.
That's not good.
"Luc," she begins with a delicacy that's absolutely terrifying, "I thought we agreed not to go there again. You and I...we're best friends. We shouldn't be sleeping together."
