“For water or for Alex?” Ethan teases.
Morgan’s cheeks burn bright red.
“Shut up!” She picks a pillow off the couch, lobbing it square into Ethan’s smug grin. “I didn’t tell you that so you could use it against me every five seconds.”
Ethan holds his hands up. “What are friends for?”
Morgan recently admitted to having a crush on Alex. And I don’t mean a “drooling over him from afar” crush. She’s been tutoring him in math for a while now. They’ve been texting. Flirting. Crossing lines—big, important lines, if you know what I mean. I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed, and apologized for being so engulfed in my own drama.
I have reasons to believe they’re on the outs right now. The first being the distant sadness in Morgan’s eyes. She refused to go into details, but I did manage to squeeze a few not-so-fun facts out of her.
Apparently, Alex is seeing someone. A friend of Zoey’s. Mia something. Regardless of everything that happened between them. And I thought Alex was the nice one…
I’ve tried keeping the boy talk to a minimum, but I can’t help it. This is Morgan. As in the girl who’s never had a crush on a guy that isn’t fictional before.
Alert the media.
Morgan and I trot to the kitchen together. I grab a large bowl out of the kitchen cabinet, dumping the popcorn into it, while Morgan pours herself a glass of water. We end up talking about Alex for fifteen minutes before retreating to the living room. We turn the corner to find Ethan laughing his head off at something on his phone.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
It takes me a solid second to realize it’s not his phone he’s staring at.
It’s mine.
No.
“What did you do?” My pulse escalates.
“Nothing he didn’t deserve.” Ethan shrugs.
He?
Who’s he?
Will?
I dash to the couch, snatching my phone out of his hands. I was right—Will texted me. Barely a minute after we walked out of the room. Ethan’s curiosity must’ve gotten the best of him on message number six.
Willy Wonka: Hey, I’m back in town
Willy Wonka: I’m so sorry I didn’t text you before. You’re never going to believe what happened
Willy Wonka: Where are you? I’ll meet you.
Willy Wonka: I’ll explain everything
Willy Wonka: Kass?
Willy Wonka: Baby?
So now he wants to talk to me.
I keep scrolling, nearly dropping my phone at Ethan’s reply.
Kass: Who the fuck are you and why are you texting my girl?
Great.
Just great.
The three dots pop at the bottom of my screen.
Willy Wonka: I’m her boyfriend asshole. Who the fuck are you?
I scoff.
He calls himself my boyfriend?
As in a regular male companion with whom one has a romantic relationship? Because, as far as I’m concerned, you’re not a regular companion if I see you once every two years, Willy.
I stone Ethan with popcorn. “What. The. Hell. Were. You. Thinking?”
“I know you.” He laughs, shielding himself with his forearm. “You would’ve been too nice to him, and he ghosted you for days, Kass. Days! Dude deserved it.”
I open my mouth to retort, but a loud knock on Morgan’s front door interrupts our bickering.
Then another knock.
And another.
And another.
The knocks grow louder, more insistent by the second. It sounds like someone’s trying to beat the goddamn door down.
We all exchange quick “Is this how we die?” glances. Morgan is the first to make a move, but I follow close behind. I’m not letting her go alone. As for Ethan, he watches us from the living room. Thanks, man.
Morgan checks through the peephole.
“Holy shit.” She gasps.
“What?” The suspense is killing me.
She pulls away, her eyes expanding in size.
“He’s here.”
I need a moment to make sense of what Morgan just said.
Will.
Will is here.
Why is it so hard to breathe all of a sudden?
“Who? Who?” Ethan shrieks, scurrying to us in no time. “Kass’s man? Let me see.”
How did he know where to find me? Or where Morgan lives? But most importantly, why is he here?
What does he want?
His cheeks mashed against the door, Ethan peers through the small gap for long seconds. It’s his first time seeing Will. He’s heard of him a little—okay, a lot—but they’ve never actually met.
“Holy fuck,” he mouths. “That’s Will?”
I nod.
He fans himself with his left hand. “Hot damn, I’d lie to my brother too for a piece of that ass.”
Morgan snorts a laugh. Another set of powerful knocks rattle the door, and Ethan jumps as though he forgot there was a real person on the other side. Will’s not going anywhere. My car’s parked in the driveway. He knows I’m here.
Might as well face him.
“Okay. Enough. Back to the living room. Both of you.”
Ethan doesn’t budge. “But—”
“Ethan, now!”
Morgan steps in, dragging him away.
“Ah, man.” Ethan mopes.
I take a breath, attempting to gather myself, and spin the knob with a trembling hand. He’s right there, on Morgan’s porch, in a plain black T-shirt and faded, torn-at-the-knees jeans. Dark circles mark his eyes. The second he drinks me in, his features light up.
At first, he smiles.
But it’s only a second before his joy slips away.
“Who the fuck is that?” He shoves his phone into my face.
Our text conversation is pulled up on his screen. Not what I was going for.
“Are you serious? That’s all you have to say to me? You disappear for days and—”
“Is he here?” He tries to walk around me, but my palms dart to his chest, keeping him on Morgan’s porch.
“Will, stop!”
“Kass, if there’s a guy inside I swear on my life I’ll—”
“There isn’t.” I realize that’s a lie. “I mean, yeah, there is, but it’s not what you think.”
And he’s inside.
He whooshes to the living room before I can react.
“Is that him?” he snaps, going straight for Ethan sitting on the couch, minding his business for once in a blue moon.
“Stop! He’s just a friend,” I yell.
He pays me no mind, fisting Ethan’s collar and hauling him off the couch effortlessly.
“You think you can touch my girl?” Will rages inches away from Ethan’s face. “I’m going to fuck you up.”
Against all odds, Ethan smirks.
“Gladly. Your place or
