Page 81 of Try Hard

“Oh. Right.” He pulled back and shot her an apologetic smile. “Well, I have had a lot going on.”

“Yeah. Suppose I’ll forgive you.”

Kieran glanced at me and how close I was standing to Eve. I didn’t miss the way his jaw and eyebrows twitched in amusement. “Seems like everything’s working out for you, Archer, so I don’t know why you’re complaining. But I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about that right now.”

Eve laughed and, without letting go of me, adjusted her arm so the back of her hand rested on the small of my back. I tried not to react to the way the move had her brushing over my butt.

“Fia,” Kieran said by way of a greeting. “Good to see you again.”

Kim grinned widely. “We aresoglad you agreed to come to the wedding! It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

“And you know Archer here would have been devastated.”

“I’m sure she’d have survived,” I said darkly, watching Kieran with narrowed eyes. He’d changed quite a bit since school but he looked happy.

“Hardly,” Eve said, amused, and she leaned even closer into me.

My heart thudded demandingly in my chest. There was no way Kieran and Kim weren’t going to think we were together. I wasn’t really sure how to feel about that. They’d both known me back in school. They’d known I was never good enough to be around someone like Eve. Surely they still thought that deep down?

“Archer!” Adnan threw his arms around Kieran’s and Kim’s shoulders, leaning into the group. “And Ophelia Pendrick. The whole school really is here.”

“Adnan,” Eve said, pulling me infinitesimally closer to her, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was a little worried about the smile he gave me. “You seem to be doing better.”

I had no idea what she was referring to, but it was fascinating that she’d stayed in touch with this group. I’d stopped talking to everyone from school, whereas she seemed incapable of losing her friends. I couldn’t blame them all for wanting to stay in touch with her. After finally getting her number and her time, I was unbelievably reluctant to give them up.

“Yeah, I’m over it and back on the scene,” Adnan said, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that made it clear he’d gone through a recent breakup but was well and truly back out there.

Maybe it wasn’t that surprising Eve was keeping me tightly by her side—especially not when Adnan very unsubtly looked me up and down. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Eve moved readily with me when I twisted slightly and hid part of my body behind her. I was certain she felt the tension coursing through me.

“Sorry about the way it all went down,” she told Adnan sincerely.

“It’s fine. I’m over it.” He laughed and nodded towards Kieran. “At least I got the finished wedding cane from him before the breakup.”

My eyes flicked to Kieran’s cane. It took a second of him twisting it to see that it had been painted with his and Kim’s initials and what I could only assume were important memories of their relationship. Our old school crest sat near the handle.

Eve grinned. “He did a great job.”

“You’re supposed to take my side, Archer,” Adnan shot back.

“You’ve always been a shit painter.”

Before he could reply, the song changed and Kim screamed. “Babe, wehaveto dance!” She shot me and Eve a look. “We picked loads of songs from when we were at school and stuff.”

I nodded as people raced for the dance floor, ‘Mr. Brightside’ blasting from the speakers.

Eve shot me a look. “Dance with me?”

I shook my head, looking down to hide my smile. “Sure thing, Archer.”

“Save me one for later,” Adnan called after us, but I didn’t look back.

Despite the chaos of everyone around us, Eve’s hands found my hips and she pulled me against her, moving us to the beat.

“I think you’ve got an admirer,” she said into my ear.

I fought the way the memory of his eyes roaming my body made me want to cringe. “He’s barking up the wrong tree.”