Olivia had never actually suffered a traumatic brain injury but she assumed this was what it felt like to be catatonic. She was there at the wedding venue. A glass of chardonnay sat in front of her as she perched on a stool at one of the high tables that lined an outdoor dance floor. The day was mild but electric heaters lined the elegant venue just in case the weather dared to disobey.

She sat alone. Lena had offered to come as her plus one but she’d told her not to bother. She’d go to the wedding, but she didn’t care what anyone thought of her single status, if they even noticed at all.

She was there. Technically, her body had made it to the wedding. She was another body in the crowd of family and friends who were mingling over crab cakes. She was there, alive and breathing. But everything hurt. Well, just her chest hurt. And her head. And possibly her heart.

The rest of her was numb.

She’d been like this since leaving Drew’s apartment the other day, shell-shocked and so confused she didn’t know if she was coming or going. Maybe that was why her body and brain had shut down. They’d declared a timeout as the world went on around her. She’d gone to work. She’d gone about her day-to-day life. But she’d done it all as if looking through a lens. Like she was watching a movie. The Olivia Story: A Tale of Waitressing and Netflix. Not exactly an engrossing movie. Lena had tried to get her to talk but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her friend about that last showdown with Drew.

Maybe because she knew that if she did, the tears she’d been holding back would let loose. And that couldn’t happen. She was holding it together, barely, but it was happening. The only upside of this catatonic state was that it made her senses deaden toward everything else in her life as well.

Like right now, for instance. This was exactly the nightmare situation she’d been hoping to avoid. For months she’d agonized over the possibility of having to show up at this wedding dateless. But here she sat, single and alone. And what did it matter? For the first time in possibly forever, she couldn’t care less what everyone around her thought.

Drew would have been proud.

She shook off that thought which had carelessly slipped through the cracks of her numb shield. She’d managed to avoid thinking about him for days now. She hadn’t thought about him every second she was working, she made sure she was not thinking about him when she was home alone, and she absolutely refused to think about him when she was getting ready for bed each night.

She sure as hell wouldn’t start now.

Avery had come to collect her this morning as planned and she’d ridden in the backseat while Kimmie sat up front chatting away next to a surprisingly subdued Avery. The rest of their friends had made other car arrangements but because she, Avery, and Kimmie were all staying at the same hotel near the wedding venue, it had seemed to make sense that they travel together as well. Of course, when they’d made the plans, Drew was supposed to be their fourth passenger.

Neither Avery nor Kimmie asked her where Drew was or why her date was missing in action. She didn’t know why, it seemed like the sort of thing they’d not only notice but pry into. But then, maybe they’d heard some gossip already or maybe Drew had told them straight up that she’d been lying from the start.

She didn’t know and she didn’t care.

Not caring was nice. She could get used to this. She took a sip of her wine as she watched the people around her, her brain blissfully blank. She wondered vaguely how long this numb state could last. Through the rest of the week, perhaps? Or maybe, if she tried hard enough, she could keep it up for months. Maybe all throughout law school.

Law school. In Louisiana. With its heat and humidity. Not to mention the classes and the professors and the having to pretend that she cared about passing the bar….

She took a long swallow of her wine. When this haze of distance finally did come to an end, at least there would be alcohol.

She spotted Jessie’s parents in the crowd, looking dapper and regal as ever. The wedding was set to begin any minute now and out of curiosity more than anything she summoned up a mental image of Jessie and Camille smiling adoringly at one another as they promised to cherish and love one another until their dying day.

She braced herself for some sort of harsh emotion. Anger, jealousy, resentment. None came. Instead, a snort of amusement escaped her at the thought of Jessie and Camille and a lifetime commitment. A lifetime. Yeah, right. As if either of them knew what commitment truly meant or what it entailed.

They might not be bad people, but they were young and stupid. They didn’t know what they wanted.

It’s a simple question, princess. What do you want?

Her breath escaped her in a whoosh as she heard Drew’s voice in her head, loud and clear. Shit. She took a gulp of wine. Now was not the time for the walls to come crumbling down. Taking a deep breath, she tried to empty her mind again to find that blissful calm. That unthinking, unfeeling oasis.

Her breathing quickened as she felt it slipping away. Trying to grasp for it was like trying to make herself fall asleep—the harder she tried, the more elusive it became.

“Are you all right?” Avery’s voice sounded like it was coming through a tunnel even though she was standing right beside her.

Her friend’s face was creased in concern and Olivia was dimly aware of the other girl’s hand on her shoulder. “Hey, do you need to get some air?”

A distant part of her brain was coming to life and it helpfully pointed out how ludicrous that question was because she was currently sitting outside. But that wasn’t what Avery meant. She meant, do you need to escape?

“Yes.” But she was tired of running, and there was nowhere to run to. The danger wasn’t out there, it was in her head.

No, it was in her heart.

Shit. When the hell had this happened?

She stared at her wine glass and focused on breathing. Avery slid into the seat beside her. “Just breathe, Liv,” she murmured. “I’ll make sure no one comes to talk to us.” She was leaning forward, talking softly and to the rest of the people at the party, it probably looked like they were having a heart to heart, when in reality she was losing her shit.

I love you, Livvy. I’m in love with you.

Now that her brain was active again, she couldn’t shut it out. His voice, his words… Oh hell, everything about that conversation was playing on a loop and she couldn’t stop it.

He’d told her he loved her. And she’d said nothing.

He’d asked her what she wanted and she couldn’t answer.

Shaking her head, she let out a little moan and clutched the wineglass. “I am such an idiot.”

Avery made a shushing noise and rubbed her back. “I know, sweetie.”

Olivia looked at the other girl and almost laughed. “Is it that obvious?”

Avery shrugged. “I’ve gotten to know Drew pretty well these past few years—” She stopped even though it sounded like she was going to say more. When she spoke again, Olivia knew she’d changed her mind on what she was going to say. “He’s a really good guy.”

Olivia blinked at her. Well, duh. Of course he was a good guy. He was her best friend. No, he had been her best friend. Now he was…what?

If you could find it in your heart to trust me, what then? What would you want this to be?

She didn’t know!

Bullshit. That was her own voice chiming in—the voice she’d been actively shutting out for days.

Bullshit, it said again. She knew what she’d want. If she could trust him not to hurt her. If she could trust that he wouldn’t lose interest. If she could honestly believe that what he felt for her was real, that what they had was different from his string of casual affairs. If she could…

Her train of thought came to an abrupt halt as her gaze lifted and she saw him there in the crowd. Drew.

Holy shit, Drew?

“What are you staring at?” Avery asked beside her. But then she spotted him too and she laughed. “Well, shit. Good for him.”

She tried to suck in oxygen but she couldn’t seem to get enough. Her breaths were short and choppy as his gaze locked onto hers, his expression serious but unreadable. Was he angry? Was he happy to see her?

Was she happy to see him?

Yes. She didn’t even have to ask that question. Beneath the adrenaline and the nerves and the fear…there was joy. Undeniable, overwhelming, hard-to-function-because-she-was-so-giddy joy.

What the hell was he doing here?

But then he was at her table, standing next to Avery but only looking at her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. She hadn’t meant to say that and she sure as hell hadn’t meant for it to come out as a shrill demand.

His lips twitched up a bit but he didn’t look amused. Now that he was close up and she could see his eyes, he looked…sad. Unbearably sad.

Oh crap. Her own heart squeezed painfully in return.

“Hey, Drew.” Avery said what she should have said. Just a simple hello, not a demand for an explanation.

His gaze never left Olivia. “Hey, Avery.”

Olivia could feel Avery slipping out of her seat beside her but she was physically unable to tear her gaze away from Drew’s.

“I’ll, uh, just be going now,” Avery said before walking away so quickly it could almost qualify as a jog.

They were alone. Olivia licked her lips and tried to swallow. They were alone and no one was talking. Finally, she said the only words her brain could muster. The words that had been spinning in a loop since she’d spotted him. “What are you doing here?”

This time his lips did turn up. He shrugged, as if it was obvious. Because he’d promised to go and he kept his commitments. “Aren’t you happy to see me? I figured you’d be miserable if you had to show up dateless to this thing.”

She stared up at him, blinking rapidly as the last piece of the revelation fell into place. The floor gave out beneath her, surely that was why her stomach was doing somersaults. Of course he’d come. He’d promised he would. He was there for her. He was always there for her.

Her blinking grew frantic as she tried and failed to hold back tears.

Drew’s brows came together in a frown. “Shit, Livvy, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I know I said we’d never be able to be friends again but I hate the thought of not having you in my life. I may not be ready to be best friends right away but if you give me some time…”

He stopped, looking like a deer in headlights at the sight of her tears. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and started to reach out to her but then stopped. “Look, I know I was harsh the other day, but I was hurting. You broke my heart and I just—”

She reached out a hand and clutched his shirt. His nice, ironed buttoned-down blue shirt was wrinkled in her hands as she held on for dear life. “You came.”

His expression was a mix of concern and confusion. “Yeah, I came.”

She shook her head, tugging on his shirt roughly as she tried to put her racing thoughts into words. “You came. Of course you came. You always come through for me.”

He leaned down as if proximity might help clear up her babbling. “You’re scaring me, Livvy. Are you all right?”

She nodded. She could understand why he would ask that. Tears were streaming down her face and she was having difficulty speaking. But that was only because her throat was choked up with emotion and she was fairly sure her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. As for the tears…well, when the dam she’d built around herself came down, it came down with a vengeance.

All the emotions she’d been pushing away were threatening to drown her. “I’m such an idiot,” she said.

He pulled her close, rubbing her back. “What’s going on, princess?”

She shook her head, trying to come up with words. “You were right. You were so right.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “What was I right about?”

She couldn’t explain. Reaching up she brushed the tears away from her eyes in frustration. Then she grabbed his shirt again and gave him a little shake. “Ask me again. Ask me what I want.”

His lips started to turn up again and she was pretty sure she would melt on the spot if he gave her that grin she loved. “What do you want?”

“You.” The word came out on a breath. She wasn’t sure why it was so hard to get it out when she knew with such certainty. It may have been soft, little more than a whisper, but he heard her.

She felt him freeze beneath her hands. “Livvy,” he said warningly. And she knew exactly what he meant. Don’t tease me. Don’t mess with my emotions. You’d better be damn sure before you say another word.

She knew all that because she knew him. Just like he knew what made her happy and what made her light up with excitement. She knew him.

“You’d asked me before, what if I’d trusted you,” she said. “What if I didn’t doubt your ability to commit and your loyalty…” She shook her head, trying to remember his exact words. Meeting his questioning gaze, she continued. “But the thing is, I do trust you. I always have.” Her voice got stronger as she spoke. “You’ve always been there when I needed you. You’re one of few people whom I do trust wholeheartedly.”

She saw the questions in his eyes, the doubts, and she hated them. Even now he’d shown up for her, even after she’d hurt him.

“I was so scared of losing your friendship that I couldn’t let myself think of anything else. I refused to see you as anything more.” She swallowed down another sob. Jesus, she needed to pull it together.

“But you do see me as something more?” he asked as he reached up to brush her hair back from her face. His eyes were filled with an emotion so infinitely tender it took her breath away.

She nodded, a stifled sob making her hiccup. “I was attracted to you from day one, but I thought you wouldn’t be interested in me, at least not for long.”

He looked like he was going to interrupt but she stopped him. “And maybe I was right.” She shrugged. “You were eighteen, Drew. It’s possible you might have fucked up.”

He tipped his head from one side to the other in a show of concession that he may have indeed been a bit of a fuck-up at eighteen.

“Or I might have ruined everything,” she added. “I don’t think I was ready for what we have…or had. It was too much.” She hesitated a bit before adding another truth, “With Jessie, it was so much easier.”

She saw his cringe and tried to explain. “Easy because the emotions didn’t run as deep. I cared about him, but he wasn’t my…” Oh hell, she was about to get sappy.

He raised one brow in question and judging by the cocky look that was rapidly taking over his face, he knew where this was going. Luckily smug looked good on him.

“He wasn’t my soul mate,” she finished. Then she rolled her eyes. “God, was that as cheesy as I think it was?”

“Even cheesier,” he said quickly, but he was outright grinning now, his eyes filled with a happiness that made her want to cry all over again, but this time with relief. His arms tightened around her waist. “So you’re ready to admit that you want to be more than friends?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, ready to answer, but he kept talking.

“Because you know this means you’ll need to take a chance on me.” His expression turned unexpectedly serious. “I don’t take this lightly, Livvy—”

“I know.”

“And if we do this it means no going back.” His brows drew together in concern. “The way things stand now, there’s a possibility we could find our way back to being just friends. But if I fall in love any deeper…if I let myself be happy with the woman I love…”

She saw his Adam’s apple rise and fall as he swallowed. Her own throat was temporarily blocked with another wave of emotion—a feeling so tender and precious it made breathing difficult.

He cleared his throat. “There’s no chance of going back to being friends if we take this step. You need to be sure about this.”

She put her hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at her. For the first time in a long time she knew exactly what she wanted. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, steadying herself for what needed to be said. “Drew, I want us to be friends.”

He let out a whoosh of air, a flash of pain in his eyes.

“But not just friends,” she hurried on.

He groaned, his eyes shutting briefly. “You’re killing me here, princess.”

She grinned. “Sorry. I’m making a mess of this, aren’t I?”

He pressed his lips together and raised a brow in answer.

“I want to be friends,” she said slowly, “because I love our friendship. I want to be able to talk to you about anything and I want to listen to your crazy theories about how Elon Musk is an alien from a superior civilization.”

His grin was slow and sexy and it nearly made her forget her point altogether. Drew’s arms tightened around her waist. “And is that all you want from me, buttercup? Good conversation?”

She shook her head, a smile tugging the corners of her mouth as she tried to sound serious. “Oh no. I want good conversations, but I’d prefer they take place in bed.” She stopped trying to hide her smile and it grew so big her cheeks hurt. “Naked.”

He claimed her mouth with a growl that made her shiver with longing, and joy…and absolute terror.

She pushed back gently so she could catch her breath. When his gaze met hers she found herself talking to her very best friend. “I’m so scared, Drew.”

His eyes were infinitely tender. “I know, Livvy. I’m scared too.”

She leaned forward, resting her head against his chest. Her heart was beating too fast, her blood was rushing to her head making her dizzy. Everything in her felt alive and new and raw. This was so much more than friendship.

She pulled back to look up at him and meet his gaze. She knew what she had to say—the words were pushing against her chest, beating in her veins, desperate to get out. This was it, she was about to step off the ledge and hope against hope that she didn’t get hurt.

“I love you, Drew.”

His smile lit up his face as his grip tightened and he lifted her out of her chair and off her feet. “I love you too, Livvy.”

Her giddy grin matched his as they stared at one another in stunned disbelief for a moment. She’d said it. She’d actually said it.

And it felt amazing.

Now that the words were out there, their relationship irrevocably altered, she had no doubts whatsoever. She’d taken the leap and now she was flying.

She leaned in to kiss him, her tongue tangling with his as she reveled in her newfound freedom of finding true love with her best friend.

She wasn’t sure how long they made out, pressing against one another as if their lives depended on it, kissing as though they might never come up for air. However long they were at it, she wasn’t sure they ever would have stopped if Avery hadn’t come over and cleared her throat loudly.

And then, when they still didn’t stop, she physically pried them apart. “Um, sorry to interrupt but the wedding is about to start.”

Olivia stared at their friend. What wedding? Wait…where were they again?

Avery cleared her throat and looked from Drew to her. “Also, you guys are kind of making a scene.”

Olivia looked around and realized that they were, in fact, the center of attention. A crowd of people were watching them with everything from glares to tolerant smiles. That’s when it finally clicked.

Oh right. Jessie’s wedding.

Drew set her feet back down on the ground—this whole time she’d been locked in his arms, pressed against his chest. Well, at least she hadn’t wrapped her legs around his waist and flashed the guests with her Spanx.

“Right,” Drew said, his voice deeper than usual as he attempted to sound serious and responsible and not at all like a wedding crasher who’d been making out with the groom’s ex in the middle of cocktail hour.

He looked to her. “Should we go in and take our seats?”

Olivia opened her mouth to agree but then thought twice. Jessie wasn’t her friend anymore, and neither was Camille. They might’ve all been willing to pretend for a year but going in there now and pretending to support this union that she didn’t believe would last a year made her feel like a hypocrite of the worst order.

She shook her head. “I don’t think anyone would miss us if we slipped out early, do you?”

Avery and Drew gaped at her. “Before the wedding?” Avery clarified.

Olivia nodded and Drew grinned at her, taking her hand and leading her toward the exit as Avery called out after them. “We’re sharing a room, remember. Try and wrap things up by the time the reception lets out?”

Drew raised a hand in acknowledgment but neither of them turned back. They were walking so quickly they were nearly running to catch a taxi back to the hotel.

It wasn’t until later—much later—that they stopped kissing long enough to talk.

“No regrets?” Drew asked, his naked body wrapped around hers as he spooned her.

“About leaving the wedding?” she said. “Not a one.”

He dropped a kiss on her shoulder, his voice laced with amusement. “I meant about us.” He squeezed her tighter. “About this.”

She turned her head so she could see him. “No regrets. And I’m not even scared anymore because we’re in this together, right?”

He leaned forward to drop a gentle kiss on her lips. “Always.”