I scratched the back of my head, feeling like an idiot now that I had an audience.
“It’s Ryan’s sister,” I said. “She’s decorating my house.”
“You’re decorating your house!?” Bas cried out. He looked up. “It’s going to snow in Cali. It will be the storm of the century, and no one will know why.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I said, laughing.
“Sydney would have your money for her swear jar if she heard you now,” said Lexi, laughing.
“You better not collect on her behalf,” I warned, but Lexi held her hands up in defense and shook her head with a smile. “Don’t hate the player; hate the game.”
I rolled my eyes.
“So, what makes you think this girl’s the one?” Bas asked.
“I just ... know,” I said. “You know?”
Bas and Lexi both nodded. They knew exactly.
“But it’s wrong. I don’t think it will go over well when Ryan finds out. And he’s bound to find out at some point. I can’t keep it a secret from him forever.”
“Then don’t,” Lexi said. “Sit him down and tell him how it is.”
I nodded. “Maybe.”
“You can’t shrug this off,” Lexi said. “Tell him, Bas.”
“He won’t do it,” Bas said.
I laughed. “I said maybe.”
“With you, ‘maybe’ means no.”
Fuck. Bas was right. But how the hell was I supposed to tell Ryan that I was falling for Emily? It shouldn’t have happened. And he was so protective over her. But I didn’t want to hurt her. In fact, I wanted the opposite. I wanted to be there for her, look out for her.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Bas said.
“What?” Lexi cried out, looking at her man. “How can you say that? We weren’t a good idea and look at how I turned out.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of bros before hoes?”
Lexi rolled her eyes before she looked at me.
“I think you should follow your heart.”
I groaned. That was the problem. Following my heart would get me in trouble. But following my head would get my heart broken. How the fuck was I supposed to deal with this?
Maybe talking to Ryan wasn’t a bad idea. I could tell him about Emily, he could be mad, realize I was serious, and then give us his blessing. Maybe if I talked to him, he would get it.
Because Emily wasn’t just some girl. She was worth the risk. When I was around her, I felt like she understood me. She saw me. And she wasn’t here for anything I could offer.
She was here forme.
“You’re going to regret this,” Bas said.
Lexi shoved him lightly. “Don’t be rude. If Parker is in love, then we should root for him.”
Bas frowned at me. “Are you in love?”