I woke up Monday morning to incessant calling from Julian. I knew it was him because I assigned specific ring tones for him, Mom and Gram, and his was the sound of Ben Stein going, “Bueller… Bueller... Bueller?” I thought it was hilariously appropriate then, because I liked to tell Julian that that was what his big brother talks sounded like to me.

But this morning it was gnawing at my soul so with a groan, I snatched my phone off the nightstand and answered with an irritated, “What?”

“You’re still asleep?”

“It’s 6AM.”

“It’s 9AM. You’re looking at the clock upside down.”

“Why did you call three times in a row?”

“I’m at the stadium. I just had a front office meeting with Drew Maddox about his future with the team.”

“What are you telling me this?”

“Because he spent the last ten minutes trying to convince me to let him into your apartment so he could ensure you weren’t dead. Apparently he’s been calling you for a week now,” Julian said while typing at lightning speed in the background. “And you haven’t picked up.”

“I’m alive. I just don’t want to go out with him after the last time he dragged me to a club.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. Everything?”

Maybe my tolerance had gone down since I’d last gone out with Drew, because my one outing with him last week felt like fucking torture. I was completely bored and over-stimulated at the same time. The whole night felt like a revolving door of shots, clubs and girls who “just heard” that I’d gone through “a really bad breakup” and “that’s so sad – do you want a massage?”

“Vague,” Julian remarked.

“I can’t explain it but you of all people know that Drew can turn a normal situation into a crazy one in about two seconds flat.”

“I believe you. But you might want to enjoy the time you have left with him, because he might be traded soon.”

“What?” I jolted upright, making Ozzy jump.

“Don’t tell him.”

“What the fuck?”

“Trust me, I’m against it. He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s going to go down as one of the best in the game, so know that I’m in his corner. I’m just letting you know that there have been discussions,” Julian said, holding the phone briefly away as he spoke to his assistant. “On the bright side, he said he’s been trying to get you to ‘look alive’ and you certainly sound it right now.”

“Dude,” I said. “Don’t trade him.”

“I’m trying not to. But do me a favor and pick up his next call. I can’t have him asking about my family during front office meetings.”

“Fair,” I conceded as Julian moved on.

“How are you doing this morning?”

I stared back at Ozzy for a second. I had no idea how to answer. I’d just had my first real emotion about something besides her, so maybe that was a good thing. But the fact that it was about my best friend’s probable trade wasn’t great.

“I’m doing,” I finally said. “Do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?”

“I find out tonight,” Julian said. I could hear a smile in his voice. “Sara’s been watching videos online about how people surprise their husbands with the baby’s sex, so I’m guessing she’s gonna pull some weird shit on me soon. I know in my heart it’s a girl, but I’ll let her do what she needs to do.”

“It’s funny listening to you act like you don’t love it… you giant fuckin’ pile of mush.”

“Yeah, you definitely sound alive again,” Julian said. “Anyway, I gotta get back to work. But I’ll let you know about the baby when I find out.”

“Thanks. Talk to you later,” I said, hit with that mix of both happy and sad when I hung up the phone. It was a combo I’d been feeling a lot lately, mostly because I couldn’t quite enjoy anything without wishing I could do it with her. I couldn’t listen to Julian talk about Sara without wishing I had exactly what they had.

I’d started trying the whole not-saying-her-name thing to see if it would help, but so far, it was almost making it worse. Honestly, despite the fact that I was faking normal a little better these days, it felt like I was at a breaking point. Almost a month later, and I wasn’t better.

I was worse.

So when Drew called tonight, I picked up the phone. And when he asked me to go out, I said yes. I’d survived the last time, and he could very well be traded next week, so it felt like I had to.

Though I probably should’ve asked before he picked me up that night where the hell we were going.

* * *

“Drew. There’s literally the same location of this place in the city. Why did we have to go to the one here?” I asked, still in disbelief that I’d gotten into the car without knowing we were headed for the Hamptons.

“Because this location is better. They pick all the hottest girls from their Manhattan location to work here for the summer,” Drew said, pointing at Iain as we headed for the doors. “Iain agrees with me.”

“Sure,” Iain said, barely needing to nod at the bouncers at the door before they stepped aside to let us in.

“Come on. Admit it. This place is awesome,” Drew said as we walked into the probably the last club on Earth that I wanted to be at tonight. The place was called Godsend and it was the same club where I’d found her at the start of the summer.

Aly.

Some girl had spilled her drink all over me on the dance floor, I’d gone to a bathroom to wash the stain out, and half a minute later, Aly walked out looking like a vision from my fucking dreams.

It was a memory I’d actually forgotten about since I’d made so many with her after.

But now that we were in this club, in the same place I’d first seen her again, I could see every moment of that night again. I could practically hear the sound of her breathy laughter from when I flirted with her in the bathroom, and within the first minute of sitting down, it was starting to tear at me.

“Hey, man, don’t make that face, alright? There’s a girl here that you’re really going to like,” Drew yelled over the music. “You’re going to think she’s awesome!”

“Right,” I yelled back. “Haven’t heard that one before.”

“Look, I promise she’s gonna be your type, asshole. I knew it the second I spotted her when I came here last week,” Drew said, wiggling his eyebrows at me in a way I’d never seen happen on his face. “She’ll be here in a sec. She’s just gotta finish with that table over there first. See her?”

I followed Drew’s eye line and let my gaze land on the bottle girl serving the round booth next to ours.

She had her tray held up high next to her head, but I could see her high ponytail bobbing around while she talked animatedly with the table of guys who tried to play it cool around her. But I could see from the way they stared at her – from the way their eyes moved wildly all over her body – that they were fucking fixated. Shit, so was I. I hadn’t looked at anyone this way in what felt like ages, but her body was everything I wanted and missed. It was tiny and tight with perfect tits sitting high on her chest, looking like they could spill out at any second.

“See?”

I didn’t have to look at Drew to know he was grinning wide. He could see this girl had my attention and he was counting it as a personal victory. I would’ve turned to at least shoot him a smirk, but I was too busy watching the guy sitting closest to the her.

As she leaned over to pour their drinks, he tilted his head, hanging damned near out of his booth to check out her ass. Little shit. Looking was fine, but staring like she was a zoo animal was fucking excessive. I was a second from pointing out the dickhead to Drew, but just as I did, the girl lowered her tray.

And I processed Aly’s face just as the dickhead lifted his hand to slap her ass.

“What the fuck!” he yelped before I could even process what the fuck I’d just done. I had him by the collar and I could feel his weight in my grip, but I wasn’t looking at him.

My eyes were fixed on Aly in a little shot girl outfit that had me pissed off, turned on and feeling like my heart might jump out of my fucking throat.

Christ.

Those eyes. That mouth. Those tits and those legs.

She looked sexier than I had the capacity to handle.

I heard a thump and an “ow” as I dropped my handful of collar and floated over to her, studying every inch of the shocked look on her face. Fuck, I missed that. It was messed up and a little twisted, but I missed that stunned expression. I’d been staring at it all summer. When I said yes to being friends, when I caught her watching porn – when I made her come in the back of that car just by sucking her nipples.

I missed that rush of blood to her lips, that shade of pink that bloomed in her cheeks. I missed how big those already big brown eyes got and I couldn’t wait to just fucking touch her.

But the commotion around us faded into my ears as the asshole I dropped started dragging management over. And since Aly rushed off in a speechless panic, I picked my feet up and followed.

I tracked that round ass of hers through the dense crowd, up a flight of stairs and right back into the room where everything started. I watched her rip out her hair tie, thrust both hands in her hair and spin around wearing a look like she was ready to chew me the fuck out.

But within a second of our eyes being locked, tears sprang into hers, and before I knew it, her arms were wrapped around my neck, her body pressed against mine.

I didn’t question it.

I just grabbed her and held on tight, pushing her back as I crushed a kiss to her lips. Her mouth parted for my tongue as I lifted her onto the sink, standing between her open legs and squeezing her smooth thighs in my hands. I felt every part of me fall into place as I kissed her deeply, reclaiming those lips, that tongue and every inch of her that I’d been without for too goddamned long.

“Aly, I fucking missed you,” I groaned as she locked her legs around me. “What…” I didn’t know which question to ask first. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I breathed out in confusion, making her laugh weakly through tears.

“I needed to pay for the motel.”

“You’re living in a motel?” I pulled away to look her in the eye. “You’re working both here and at the restaurant, and you’re living in a motel? Are you fucking crazy?” I whispered, resting my forehead on hers.

“I had to.”

“For Christ’s sake, you could’ve just lived alone in my house. I told Evie to tell you.”

“I know, but…” She shook her had. “That would’ve been worse. I couldn’t be in there without you. There was just no way.”

“I know what you mean,” I murmured, closing my eyes and shaking my head at how fucking good my body felt near hers again. For the first time in a month, I felt like I was myself again – awake and alive with red blood pumping through my veins. “Baby.” I exhaled when the adrenaline rush finally settled enough to let me speak. “There’s no way in hell I can let you keep doing this. You know that, right? Working here. Living there. It’s not gonna work. I need you to come home to me.”

My heart beat faster because Aly said nothing, simply staring back at me as I held her face in my hands.

“I know it feels like I took another thing away from you. I know it feels like I stole all your achievements from the past three, four years – but you need to know that you did all this on your own. If it weren’t me, it would’ve been someone else investing in you because you’re fucking brilliant. You’re smart and you’re passionate, and before I found my business partner, I promise you I invested in more than a dozen restaurants that closed before a year because they didn’t have your drive. The money doesn’t matter, it’s the love that does. So fine, maybe I took interest in your company because of you, but Iain did it because he knew you were a smart and unique and – ”

“Oh God, just stop, Emmett,” Aly interrupted, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Just save your breath. I’m already sold.”

“What?”

“I’m sold, Emmett. I thought I couldn’t live knowing what you did, but the truth is I can’t live without you,” she said, so breathless and bright-eyed I felt my heart coming to life. “I tried and I failed, and I know now, Emmett – I know that what you did was out of love because you’ve always loved me. And unlike me, you never stopped,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Whether or not we wanted to admit it, we’ve been partners since day one. We knew each other inside out. We had each other’s back on those boring Sundays,” she laughed, running her thumb over my smile. “We understood each other’s lives like no one else did. We’ve always been a team. You just didn’t give up on me and I can’t hold that against you anymore. All the love and approval I spent my whole life chasing – I have that with you. I have everything I’ve ever wanted with you. It just keeps taking me too long to realize.”

I couldn’t hold back the massive grin spreading my lips as I soaked in her words.

“As long as you realize it now,” I murmured, feeling as if I were in some kind of incredible dream. The fact that we were in this familiar room didn’t help. It was like déjà vu, especially with the words she said next.

“Let’s go, Emmett. I want you to take me home.”

* * *

ALY

God, it’s good to be back.

The thought crossed my mind just as the car rolled up in front of Emmett’s house. I smiled to myself because a month later, I still looked at this house and thought the word home. And I would’ve gotten on myself for being presumptuous, but just as we stepped into the foyer, Emmett wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing the top of my head as he said, “This is where you belong.”

And I had to agree.

As far as homes went, save for the motel, I’d stayed the shortest amount of time here. I’d spent seventeen years at my parents’ house in Brooklyn. I spent a summer at Aunt Carla’s, ten months in boarding school, and four years in the same dorm building during college. And in the six since graduation, I’d only had three leases.

I’d lived a lot of places, and all of them for much longer than I’d lived in this house in East Hampton.

But it was here that I finally found myself.

Where I’d made myself complete.

“You have work in eight hours. Should we go to sleep?” Emmett asked as we both drifted habitually into the kitchen. I made a long hmm sound as I gave his question some thought.

“I was thinking we could watch a movie to wind down.”

“Really,” he smirked, trailing me over toward the living room couch. “What kind are you thinking?”

“We could always finish the last one we started together,” I said, raking a grin between my teeth as Emmett took a seat and pulled me sideways onto his lap. I turned on the TV as I leaned into him, settling against his chest and exhaling in quiet relief as I felt that sense of warmth again. That unmistakable sense of home.

Emmett chuckled as he watched me go back to HBO and click on that awful movie we’d watched together a few months ago.

“If we watch this again, we should probably rewind a little so we remember what was happening.”

“Any scene you have in mind?” I giggled as Emmett slipped his hand under my shirt and kissed just under my jaw.

“I think you know.”