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The room erupts into excited chatter and bouncing bodies, all three girls crowding me with wide eyes and giddy grins as I smile so hard my cheeks ache.

“Wait. Where’s Liz?” Brynn asks.

“Yeah, so Liz deserves an award for best wingwoman ever,” I say, sinking down into one of the empty desk chairs. “Travis wanted to stay and play pool, but Damon said he had to get back early, so Liz swooped right in and offered to stay with Trav and hang out, leaving me and Damon to ride home alone.”

“And?” Brynn asks, wiggling her fingers. “Don’t hold out. We want details.”

“At first, it was a little awkward and tense, but then we got to talking, and I told him the truth?the real reason I broke up with him.” I sigh, leaning back in the seat as I remember the past few hours. “And it went better than I could’ve imagined. One minute, I’m telling him that I’m still in love with him, that I always have been, and hope he doesn’t hate me. And the next, he’s kissing me.”

Brynn sighs and rests her chin on her fist. “That’s so romantic.”

I grin, touching my lips as if I can still taste him. “It really is.”

“So, what happens now?” Charlotte asks.

I have no idea what this means for us. Being with Damon is a lot more complicated than simply asking for his forgiveness, but I can’t help but hope this is the start of something more.

“I don’t know,” I say, feeling lighter than I have in ages. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. “I guess we’ll just have to see.”

Chapter 19

DAMON

My fist pounds against the door so hard, the sound vibrates through my chest. “Chris!”

I pause and listen, hearing nothing but the sound of the television, so I raise the side of my fist again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Open the door!”

When it swings open a second later without warning, I stumble inside, righting myself at the sight of my friend grinning like an idiot. “I take it the date went well,” he says with a wink. “You’re welcome.”

I cross my arms over my chest as he shuts the door behind me, then turn to face him. “You have some explaining to do.” Chris frowns, saying nothing as I continue, “What was the one thing you promised me when you came up with this whole date idea?”

The crease between Chris’s eyes deepens, and he shrugs. “There weren’t really any stipulations, just that Avery wouldn’t be there.”

I snap my fingers and point. “Exactly! You were supposed to tell the girls that undernocircumstances was Avery supposed to be on the double.”

“Right.” Chris shrugs, hugging his arms to his chest. “And I did.”

“Did you now?” I ask, arching a brow.

“Of course. I remember because I was making out with Charlotte when I pitched the idea. I told her that we wanted to set you up with Liz, and that you wanted it to be a double. Based on the way she started kissing me, I’m pretty sure she thought it was a great idea. And then I started to tell her the only condition was that . . .” Chris trails off, his voice fizzling like water on a fire as his face pales. “Oh shit,” he mumbles.

I nod my head like a deranged bobblehead, finger pointing at the center of his chest.

Chris raises his hands, palms up as he takes a step back. “I’m sorry,” he says carefully. “I was about to tell her, I swear, and then she started doing this thing with her tongue, and . . .” He hisses out a breath like I might kill him?and I might?before he clasps his head in his hands. “She used sexual warfare on me. She must have!”

“How the fuck is your girl supposed to know I didn’t want Avery on the date if you didn’t fucking tell her?” I ask, poking him in the chest so hard my knuckle cracks.

“I’m guessing this means Averywason the date?” He winces.

I nod, my jaw tight.

Chris swallows. “And I’m also guessing that means the date went horribly.”

I drop my arm, the anger leaving my chest like a deflating balloon. “Yes. I mean, no. Not entirely.” I spin around and pace,throwing my arms in the air then clasping my hands behind my head. “Fuck, I don’t even know anymore.”