We’ve been in the restaurant for an hour and thirty minutes, and there’s talk of getting dessert after this round of cocktails.
The drinks aren’t particularly boozy, so I’ve not yet reached the point where I need to cut myself off. I will do it… even if I’m sure that drinking myself into oblivion would dull the pain.
I sit back in my seat and shake my head at Mila. She’s stalking her hot neighbour’s photos on Facebook. Wren is making her show us his latest profile picture.
“He’s not very active online,” Wren says.
Mila shrugs. “Reid is a bit of a loner. He keeps to himself a lot.”
I turn to her. “God, you would go crazy if you had to stay in and avoid people.”
“I’m a people person. The right people, though. A lot of them are arseholes.”
She means the people on social media who have nothing better to do than sit behind their screens and judge others. I’ve had a baptism of fire meeting those people, and I have no time for them. I hate them.
They took my relationship with… Spencer. Spencer. His name is bittersweet.
“Have you thought more about when you’re going to speak to Mr Hollywood?” Wren asks, sipping her cocktail.
I shake my head. “We have a few things at each other’s houses, so we’ll have to speak soon.”
Mila presses her lips together in a desperate attempt to hold back everything she’s thinking.
Wren stirs her drink. “You both love each other. That’s not going to go away.”
“I’ve had to accept that. Sometimes love isn’t enough.”
“But there is no reason why you can’t be together. He’ll happily protect you from the media and prove that long-distance relationships work.”
“Right,” Mila says, sitting taller. “I know for a fact that he would walk over fire for you, so shielding your life from the vultures is nothing. He’ll be gone for a few months here and there, and then be with you the rest of the time. You could also go and visit him.”
“I’ll probably have to repeat my final year at uni at this rate.”
Mila rolls her eyes. “Babe, you’ve probably completed it already. Besides, I would totally fly out for long weekends in LA with you. You know, if you want a travel buddy.”
“Oh, yeah, you’d do that just for me?”
She winks. “I got your back, girl.”
“I’m not being the reason you ignore your impending future.”
She turns her nose up. “Impending future? Okay. I start uni this year, and I know I want to work in the publishing industry… just not which part yet. I’ll figure it out.”
“You change your mind daily.”
“It’s more like monthly, and I don’t need to decide yet. Everyone is being very crazy, trying to force me into adulthood. I’ve heard what it’s like and, frankly, it sounds horrible.”
“Your parents are way too lenient on you,” Wren tells her. “They would actually let you live with them until you’re thirty.”
“Mum is an awesome cook. That sounds just fine to me.”
For someone who is actually quite independent, who would think nothing of travelling alone, she’s very dependent on her family. They’re super close. I have no idea what that feels like, but it looks nice.
“What has Liam said? You’re together at the minute, right?”
She glares. “We’re on. He’s said absolutely nothing about our future, you know this. He won’t even plan a week away with me.”
She still doesn’t see how wrong they are for each other.
“Oh my God, look at this smouldering picture of Reid!” Wren holds Mila’s phone up to us.
He’s sitting at his desk with papers and books everywhere. His natural face looks half like he knows your every secret, and half like he’s picturing you naked.
“Have you spoken to him about the publishing industry?” Wren asks.
Mila shrugs. “Not really.”
“He’s in it, Mila, and he lives across the road from you. Why not talk to him?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Anyway, how’s Brody?”
Wren cuts her a look but takes pity on her by rolling with the subject change. We both know it’s because she can feel the sexual tension between them and is petrified of it. “He’s good. I finally got him to agree to rescue a dog.”
My mouth drops. “You guys are moving?”
She nods. “We’re putting the apartment on the market and looking for a house with a garden. He thinks we’re only getting one dog, but I was very careful with my words. I said we need a big garden for any dogs we may rescue in the future. I clearly used plural, which means it’s not really my fault if he didn’t pick up on that.”
Mila laughs. “I can’t wait to see him get moody every time you turn up with a new one.”’
“We have a lot of old dogs that will probably never be rehomed. The shelter is an awesome, loving place, but they deserve a family.”
“You can’t have all of them, Wren.”
A slow grin stretches across her face. “Not all at once. He’d definitely notice that. Now we’ve covered Brody, let’s move back to Spencer,” Wren says.
I narrow my eyes at her. “No.”
She arches her eyebrow. “Shame, because he’s just walked in.”
Fifty-Six
Spencer
The second I walked into the bar, I spotted her. Everyone else faded away until there was just shiny, chocolate hair creating waves down her back, almost bringing me to my knees.
I’ve missed her more than I thought it was possible. I stayed away when all I wanted was to run to her and make her see fucking sense. It’s been hell. I’ve had a lot of time to think and plan.
That’s where Wren and Mila came in.
The plan wouldn’t have worked instantly. Indie was too dead set on her stupid idea that we won’t work. I had to let her take a minute—let her miss me and really think about what it would be like, rather than thinking the worst.
Mila text me when they arrived. I gave it enough time for them to eat.
