Page 1

prologue

. . .

Mason

before

chicago

“Are you sure you can’t stay for the game? You're kinda killing my big surprise here.” I try not to sound too upset with Monroe. About two hours after she had landed in Chicago, she got an emergency phone call from her boss at the PR firm she was interning at. Something about a reality dating show host catching her husband, and co-host, having an affair with one of the contestants during the live finale, which took place on a cruise ship. The PR team needed to be at the port as soon as the ship docked to control the scandal.

“And I thought you flew me out to Chicago because you missed me. Instead, I was just some ploy to impress Violet. If she wasn’t my best friend, I’d be very upset you know,” she teased in the middle of packing up her carry-on.

“It’s not that I’m trying to impress her, I just knew you two hadn’t seen each other in a while and?—”

Monroe snorted, giving me a pointed look. “You are aware that she’s my roommate, right?”

“She used to be your roommate before you decided to move from Vermont to New York. Which I get, but now Violet’s all alone and…don’t look at me like that.”

She held her hands up in mock innocence. “Who me? I’m just standing here minding my business. And pointing out that you talk to her more than I do.”

“Are friends not allowed to talk?”

She raised an eyebrow, looking eerily like our mother when she caught me red-eyed and zombied-out in my room. “Sure, but I typically reserve making out for the friends who buy me dinner first. So, did Vi buy you dinner? Or was that one on the house?”

“I— she told you about that?”

“No, definitely not. Vi knows that news would have made me gravely ill. You two weren’t exactly discreet.”

Not a single day had gone by when I’m not reminded of that moment between Violet and me a year ago. My senior year at Westchester featured a grueling game in the Hockey East Championships against our biggest rival from the other side of the Charles River — Bolton University. Every time I took a hit or scored a goal, Violet was right there, keeping me grounded. Less than three minutes into overtime and I had buried the puck into the back of the net. I was able to catch her standing in the crowd, her smile so beautiful and bright if the stars in the night sky could weep in envy, they would.

Unsurprisingly, the party Bradon and Mikey had thrown in celebration was flooded with hundreds of students. Through the sea of people, I managed to find Violet and pulled her over to a semi-quiet corner in the apartment. On instinct, I moved a loose curl from her face, tucked it behind her ear, and let my hand rest on the side of her neck. I waited for confirmation. With one small nod I closed the distance between us and kissed her. A rush of heat filled my body as I dragged my tongue across her bottom lip, begging to explore her mouth. Violet parted her lips and let out a small gasp in response, one that I knew would forever be imprinted on my brain.

“Helllooo, earth to Mason.” The sound of Monroe’s voice snapped me back to reality.

I needed to change the conversation and get my head straight, given Violet and I were about to spend the next few days alone in this hotel room together.

“So what if we kissed at the party? The next day she laughed it off and said it didn’t mean anything.”

Really what she had said was, “Don’t worry about it. I know you were super drunk and probably not thinking straight. Let’s pretend it never happened.” I wasn’t sure why but, in that moment, all I wanted to do was let her convince me that was true — to force me to believe that the two beers I had earlier in the night were enough to affect my judgment. That the kiss wasn’t the most sober I felt all night. I had figured it would make things awkward to tell her that truth, so we kept texting every day like nothing had happened. Eventually, I wondered whether I had made the whole thing up.

“Vi was just trying to protect herself, Mase. She probably wanted to know for sure that you really liked her.” Monroe moved to sit down next to me on the bed.

“Of course I like her ‘Roe. Our families are basically joined at this point.”

She rolled her eyes. “What I meant was maybe she wasn’t sure if she could trust you. Sure, you’ve been there for her as this pseudo-big brother, but your track record when it comes to girls is…lengthy in numbers and short in duration. You can’t blame her for not wanting to be another one of your one-night stands.”

I winced. “Harsh.”

“It is harsh. And I’m not trying to shame you for it. But at the same time if it makes Violet nervous, I can understand why. ”

It felt relevant to add, “I haven’t really hooked up with anyone since Violet and I kissed.”

Monroe smiled softly. “I could see that winning you some bonus points.”

I didn’t have to tell Monroe that I was hoping it would. She knew how I felt. It was written all over my face.

“Is she just going to assume I orchestrated this whole trip so I could sleep with her? Now I really don’t want you to leave.”

“She won’t think that, but as her best friend I am obligated to let you know that if you hurt her in any way, I will break your kneecaps.”

“Noted. Any sisterly advice?”

“Mostly I just have threats...” She bit her lip, debating on how to say, “Violet will probably tell you this when she gets here, but she’s currently deciding between two offers for the PhD programs she’s been applying to. One’s in New York and the other’s in Boston.”

She could be in New York soon. How the hell was I supposed to remain impartial to this information?

Monroe cocked an eyebrow at my perking up. “Listen, I know the last thing you want is your little sister sticking her nose into your love life, but just tread lightly, okay? She’s about to make a huge decision and you’re at the start of your pro career. I don’t know if either of you are ready to jump into a serious relationship right now.”

“Damn, and I thought the older sibling was supposed to be the one that offered all the sage advice.”

“None of us were ever expecting you to be the smart one,” she teased.

“What if I am ready for something serious?”

She seemed surprised by my counterpoint. “Well…then I think you guys could be really good for each other.”