Page 85 of Crash and Burn

"Clearly the feelings weren't mutual." I tried not to sound short. It wasn't Mason's fault. None of this was.

No, I knew exactly whose fault it was.

That Alana girl.

What kind of person shot down their best friend after they confessed their love, only to return years later with an "oops, sorry!" and try to pick things up where they left off? Didn't she realize how much time had passed? Didn't she realize things weren't the same anymore? How long did she expect Grant to carry a torch for her, anyway? Wasn't it pretty presumptuous of her to think he would still feel the same way?

But I supposed it wasn't presumptuous at all, because that was exactly what happened. Grant still had feelings for his childhood best friend. Enough feelings for him to dump me for her.

I have to try,Grant had said.

I had a feeling those words were going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

Just as I was thinking that, Grant walked into the bar. My stomach turned sour. His eyes darted around nervously. When they fell on me, his expression twisted into something pained and anxious. He hovered in the doorway, looking torn, before marching straight over to me.

"Liz," he began. "I need to tell you—"

"It's fine," I cut him off. "We already said everything that needs to be said last night. Now let's just work our shift together and try not to make things awkward for everyone else."

"But I wanted to tell you—"

"We promised Mason," I talked over him loudly. "We told him could be mature about this if we ever..." my voice faltered briefly, but I cleared my throat. "If we ever broke up."

Grant's face fell, dejected. His lips parted, as if wanting to say something, but then he simply pressed them together and nodded once.

I turned away from him and crossed the floor to the opposite corner of the bar and began scrubbing vigorously at a spotless table.

I could feel Grant's eyes on me. I didn't acknowledge them.

He went to the bar counter to start his shift and I could hear him speaking with Evan. I couldn't make out the words, but I tried to read their lips out of the corner of my eye. I caught my name a time or two, no doubt Grant asking about me. Evan mostly replied with shrugs and one word answers.

Grant's lips moved again and this time I caught the words.

"I have to try,"he told Evan.

My chest clenched, like a vise was gripping my heart and squeezing it flat. That was going to be Grant's excuse. He had a second chance with his long-lost love and he had to take it.

It made sense. It was what a lot of people would have done.

But would they have broken up with their current loved one to do it?

I supposed that was the difference, then. Grant hadn't said the L-word to me yet, not even once.

It turned out I wasn't his loved one after all.

Grant continued speaking with Evan. His disapproving expression eased and Evan nodded before going back to his side of the bar.

A customer waved at me and I realized I'd been openly gawking at the two of them. I brought my attention back to the customers and tried to forget about their conversation.

"Did Grant tell you?" Evan asked as we brushed past each other later that evening, when there was a lull in the crowd.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

"Some of his photos are going to be displayed at an art gallery."

Despite everything, I couldn't stop a genuine smile.

"That's great for him," I said. "Grant's always been an amazing photographer."