Page 19

Anah's heartbeat rate shot up like a rocket. She and Ethan had "rules" now, and one of those rules?
Ethan permitting himself to reach out to her first, but only on the days when he was officially without a girlfriend again.
Like now.
Chapter Eight
ANAH CHECKED THE TIMEstamp of the message and saw that the text had been sitting in her inbox for over twenty minutes.
Anah:I'm so sorry. I didn't notice your message until now.
Ethan:Too busy flirting with Wyndham?
His lips twisted as he cleared the entire message with a click. When Anah had told him that night she still wanted to be friends, Ethan's first reaction had been to say no. He didn't want to risk hurting Anah in any way, which he could've, even unintentionally, for as long as Guilia was a part of his life.
But then Anah had used her doll-like eyes to plead with him, and that had been it.Yes, they would still be friends, he had finally told her, but only if both of them agreed to play by a strict set of rules.
And one other rule that she had personally insisted on?
That Ethan would never let guilt push him into doing or saying things he didn't mean, just to make her feel better.
Please don't pretend you're suddenly jealous or attracted to me. Please don't pretend that you like me more than Guilia. Please just never lie.
Those had been Anah's exact words, and Ethan had no doubt she would think those things if he were send to his earlier message. If he had told Anah the sight of her talking and laughing withSlade Wyndham made him jealous, she would've thought he was pretending.
But was he?
Fuck this.Ethan decided to hold off replying for now and shoved his phone back into his jean pocket. When he glanced up, he saw the twins watching him with interest, and he raised a brow. "What?"
"Guilia trying to get back with you already?" Aidan asked.
"Something like that," Ethan lied.
Another rule that Anah had personally insisted on was for no one to know about what had changed between them.They'll never believe that I was the one who insisted on staying friends,she had explained,but I'd also hate it terribly if being your friend means people will think you're being unfaithful to Guilia.
And with this rule still in mind, Ethan could only permit himself to nod and flash a brief smile at Anah's direction before following the twins out of the cafe.
Aidan shook his head when he saw the way Anah was still staring at his brother as the door swung shut behind Ethan. "She still likes you, you know."
Ethan shrugged. "Anah knows the real score between us."
"And you're absolutely sure of that?" Thornton asked bluntly.
"Not a single doubt about it." Ethan could tell his brothers didn't believe him, but he was actually telling them the truth. These days, it was Ethan himself - andnotAnah - who was struggling to remember the real score, Ethan himself whose own lines were beginning to blur about what he should and shouldn't feel.
ANAH'S HEART SECRETLYcouldn't stop singing in the next couple of days. One of the best things about their little set of rules was that Anah still retained the right to see Ethan whenever she wanted, and so for the whole week, saw him she did. She would be shopping for some groceries, and he would happen to be there, too. She would be in a meeting with other students at the diner near her university, and he would be there having his lunch, too.
Anah literally just had to name the time, date, and place, and Ethan would show up without fail. It was bliss really, except for one thing.
"You are so amazingly resilient," Farica told her when Anah came over to the cafe to have brunch.
Anah blinked in confusion. "Resilient?"
"I was talking to Frankie the other day—-"
"Gossiping, I think you mean to say," Slade drawled from the other end of the bar, and Anah had to bite the insides of her cheek just to keep herself from smiling.
"Anyway,"Farica said loudly even as she shot her business partner a glare. "Frankie told me she saw you in church last Sunday—-"