I smirk when she sways, acting as though that simple touch is enough to crack her reinforced barrier.
“Just because I’m slow about some things, it doesn’t mean they’re any less sincere, Tria.”
She jerks her hand away from mine like it’s on fire, and I frown as she takes another shaky breath.
“Bye, Kode,” she says hoarsely, and she starts to walk away, but not before turning around and forcing one last smile for me when she sees me watching.
Groaning, I turn away when she disappears through the gate with Courtney on her heels. Everyone is watching, no one is speaking, and the audience of our friends that was forgotten are now making me feel a little awkward.
Ash sniffles, Rain sighs, and Britt stands there with a dazed expression. All the guys are just wide-eyed as they gawk at me like I’m some exotic creature or an extremely fucked-up science experiment—not sure which.
“What?” I grumble, shrugging as if I don’t know what the hell they’re all staring at.
“Dude, you’re so far gone that it’s almost disgusting,” Maverick says, his face drawn up as though he has tasted something sour.
“That was heart-wrenching,” Ash says on a sigh.
Didn’t realize we were putting on a damn show.
“It is what it is,” I mumble, kicking at an imaginary stone on the patio while pocketing my hands in my jeans like a surly teen.
“If I was writing this story, I’d have you causing a major, dramatic scene at my wedding where you confessed your love for her on your knees,” Rain says thoughtfully, causing me to arch my eyebrow in amusement. “Then she’d run into your arms, you’d kiss, possibly carry her out. It’d be over-the-top romantic.”
Deciding I don’t have any dignity left, I answer, “Two problems with that. The first is the fact that it wouldn’t work. I’ve already confessed my damn love—”
“To everyone,” Maverick points out in exasperation. “Several times.”
I continue talking as though he didn’t just say something snide. “And interrupting a wedding, begging for her to take me back… All that’s a little too cliché for Tria.”
Rain nods, seeming lost in thought. “True. Both things.”
Courtney returns just as I glance down at my phone, trying to think of anything I can say to Tria.
“Well, now that she’s gone, how about I take a look at how you have me programmed in your phone,” she purrs, putting her hand on my arm.
I smirk as I quickly pull up my contacts, eager to oblige. She grins as she looks over, but her gasp of outrage makes me smile so damn hard that it hurts. Do Not Answer is the name with her number, and a picture of a pointy-nosed goblin is set for her.
“You’re an asshole,” she spews, furious as she turns away and stalks off in an angry huff.
Corbin looks over and bursts out laughing when he sees what pissed Courtney off, and I put my phone away while grinning triumphantly.
“Where are you taking Tria tomorrow?” I ask Rain, not even bothering to try to be subtle.
She grins as though she has been waiting on me to ask that question. “Silk. We’ll be there around eleven. She agreed to go out for my early bachelorette party.”
“We crashing a party?” Corbin asks, already smiling like my coconspirator.
Damn straight we’re crashing.
As Maverick and Corbin start scheming to help me in my quest, I send a text to Tria. I reprogrammed my name in her phone earlier when I was at her house. She had changed me to Kode. That’s better than a Do Not Answer or Bastard I Hate. I wanted to remind her of the good stuff. Now my name is The Guy Who Loves You.
Me: I miss you.
Since she hasn’t responded all week, I’m surprised when I get a text back.
The Girl I Love: I miss you too.
I clutch the phone in my hand, worried I’m hallucinating. There’s no doubt I’ll be at Silk tomorrow. And I’ll be anywhere else she is as long as she misses me, too.