Page 23 of Save Your Breath

“He’s not going to fuck this up, Mia,” Isabella assured me, like that was the issue. “Giana and I are on the same page. He’s in this, too. He will behave himself.”

I nodded but felt my skin heating at the thought of whatbehaving himselfwould entail.

It wasn’t unusual for me to have butterflies any time I knew I was going to be in the same place as my best friend. I knew he’d pick me up in a big hug, knew we’d rag on each other and give one another shit. I knew it would feel easy, just like it always did — even if, under the surface of that calm water, there was a stormy past threatening to take me down with the current.

But this time was different.

This time, I didn’t have a boyfriend, nor was I freshly out of a relationship and so heartbroken that I couldn’t be interested in another man even if I tried.

And this time, Aleks would be putting on a show for every camera aimed our way.

He wouldn’t just hug me like a little sister, he’d hold me like a girlfriend. He’d lace his fingers with mine.

God… would he kiss me?

My stomach did another violent roll at the thought, enough that I squirmed in my seat and groaned a bit.

“Dude, what the actual fuck is going on,” Isabella asked on a laugh, sliding me her glass of water when she realized mine was empty. “You’re being so weird. You’re acting like…”

Her voice faded as I chugged the water, and then her mouth popped open as she blinked a few times.

“Oh shit… are you in love with him?”

“Stop,” I said, sucking my teeth and swatting her arm. I looked around the small jet to make sure no one else on our team had overheard her. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You have a crush on him?”

“Absolutely not,” I said with more insistence. “He’s like a brother to me.”

Lie.

Big, fat lie.

Did I sell that big fat lie?

Judging by my publicist’s face, the answer was no.

“Stop bullshitting me. Was there something between you two when you were younger?”

“No,” I answered immediately. “Yes. No, not really… but kind of?”

Isabella’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head, and she looked around, too, before tugging on my sleeve so I was leaning down toward her and could hear her whispering.

“Okay, bitch. You need to tell meeverything— right now.”

I sighed, pulling my hood up over my head and tugging on the strings that tightened them until I was looking at Isabella through a tiny hole of thick fabric.

“I may or may not have had a little tiny crush on him,” I admitted.

“Mia! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s not a big deal,” I said. “It’s fine. Really. We… I don’t know, I thought we had something. I thought maybe he liked me more than a friend. So, one night, when I was drunk and young and stupid, I tried to kiss him.”

“Tried?”

“He turned me down.”

“Hewhat?!”