The coffee table is littered with an abandoned board game and beer bottles.

Lexi can’t stop checking her phone. “Unbelievable,” she keeps muttering under her breath.

Ryder is engrossed in telling a story about snow-skiing in Nevada. “The beginner slopes are at the top, Zoe. You would love it because they go on for days and it’s like you’re flying. Most other resorts have beginner slopes where the hill just ends after about two seconds and then you have to go back up, which makes it boring.”

“I guess that would be pretty boring,” she offers, but she’d agree with anything he said.

Samantha glances to her sister. “He’s not coming?”

“He hasn’t returned the last text. I assumed he would be here, to surprise me or whatever, but apparently not.” Lexi reaches for a potato chip, crunching loudly as she glares at the phone like Brad is in it, flipping her off.

Oblivious, Zoe asks Ryder, “How many times have you been?”

“Countless. Jimmy and I would make the drive every weekend in the winters. Some of our other friends came along sometimes, but he and I went every single weekend.”

“I bet you miss him.”

“He just got engaged. I’ll be going back for the wedding.”

Samantha tells Lexi, “He might still show.”

“Brad loves to get a rise out of me. I’m going to pretend like it doesn’t, and the next time I talk to him I will act as if this conversation never happened.”

It’s nearing midnight. I clear my throat. “I have to go. We have a show tomorrow night.” Setting my empty bottle down, I mutter, “Shouldn’t have had this beer.”

Ryder stands up and stretches. “I’ll walk out with you.”

Zoe holds her disappointed tongue as he walks to his jacket. Samantha and Lexi rise up to give me hugs. This prompts Zoe to stand, and she smooths her hair while her pretty green eyes dart around like she wishes she could stop time and go back to where he was sitting with her, telling her stories all night, and pretty much just talking to solely her. Poor thing. I know exactly how she feels.

As we head for the door, Lexi says, “Maybe we’ll come up to New York and visit you. I’ve never seen a show on Broadway before.”

It would kill Sam to see the show she was supposed to be in, from the audience. Knowing this, I give a halfhearted nod. “You guys are welcome anytime.” My eyes lock with Samantha’s.

Zoe hugs me. “Fly high, Logan.”

“I will, Zo.”

She turns to hug her crush. He lifts her off the ground with a big squeeze that makes her laugh. I follow him out the door and reach to shut it, but find Samantha is coming with us. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Oh.”

Ryder looks over his shoulder. “I’m driving him home. Or to his friend’s place. You know what I mean.” His casual manner vanishes as he notices discomfort on our faces. “I’ll go wait in my car.” He jogs his thumb behind him and quickens his strides away.

The front of her apartment building is well landscaped, with large potted plants dotting the sidewalk. We stand by one and she leans against it as a streetlamp illuminates her almond-brown eyes. “It means a lot to me that you came down for this.”

“Does it?”

Knowing what I’m asking, she whispers, “Logan…”

“Forget it, Sam. I don’t know why I’m fishing in an empty lake.”

“Don’t put it like that,” she whispers. “This isn’t empty.”

“Are you trying to tell me something?”

I search the struggle in her eyes. She’s biting her lips, and I drop my gaze to stare at them, wishing I were those teeth. Every cell in my body is reaching out to this friend I’ve known all my life, thinking that if we would just touch then it would all make sense.

“Logan.” Her eyes briefly close. No words will come. She looks tortured, but no one is more tortured than I.

I step closer, take her chin in my hand, my voice thick. “Please don’t give me hope if there isn’t any. I told you I love you. I saw it in your eyes then that you didn’t feel the same way. If you suddenly do now, does that mean you always did? Because I would leave the show and come back to Atlanta if you just said the word.” I lean a little closer so that I can breathe her in, feel the heat from her skin, waiting for her to stop me, push me away. But she doesn’t move. So I brush my lips against hers for the first time in our lives. Samantha’s breath hitches and desire wells up in my groin. Taking a chance, I kiss her, surprised as she responds. She feels like home, but just as I’m about to take this deeper she touches my chest and pushes us apart.

“Stop, I can’t. It’s not right.”

This pain coursing through me is unimaginable. I thought I ached for her before, but now? I’m staring at the love of my life, knowing this has to be the last time I see her. “Goodbye Sam.”

I turn away to find Ryder tapping the steering wheel, engine running.

She calls after me, “Mondays?”

Shaking my hand I keep my gaze locked on my escape plan.

But I hear footsteps chasing me down. Samantha runs in front of me, grabs my arms. “Logan, please don’t leave like this.”

“I have a flight to catch in the morning.”

“I know, but I can’t let you leave here until you promise me that we will still talk to each other every Monday. Promise me!”

My throat is tight, corners of my eyes burning. “Sam.”

“Please!”

“No. I can’t do that.”

“If you love me, then you can’t erase me like this. That’s not what love is.”

“How would you know?”

Tears jump to our eyes, too. “Don’t be cruel to me, Logan!”

“Sam, let me go.”

“Promise me we will still talk on Mondays.”

“I can’t.”

Can’t say no to you.

Can’t stop loving you.

Can’t have you.

She hugs me, burrowing into my chest. “Please don’t do this. I need you in my life. Please don’t leave me like this. Promise me every Monday you’ll call!”

My throat is so dry I can hardly say it. “Make it once a month.”

“That will be too easy to let it go.”

With sarcasm I laugh, “You’re not easy to let go of.”

She pulls back, searches my eyes and touches my chest right over my broken heart. “Every Monday I’m going to call you. Please pick up. Promise!”

I stare at her, wishing for so many things. “Okay.”

Samantha Cocker releases me, and walks back home.