“Tell me something no one else knows,” I purred, pressing my face against the hard wall of Ryan’s chest.

We lay in his bed watching the stars through the skylight. I could have been in heaven. Being with him was like being in heaven.

Sally’s words from earlier played in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about all we’d discussed. When I’d seen Ryan again, I’d even entertained the thought of being with him forever.

It was just in my mind, though. It was just a thought in my mind that I dared not dwell on or unleash. My years of worry couldn’t be eradicated in one afternoon.

“I don’t like teddy bears.” His words broke my thoughts, and I lifted my head to look at him. I laughed because I’d never heard anyone say such a thing before.

“What the hell? What do you have against teddy bears?”

“The face is weird, a distortion of an actual bear.”

I burst out laughing.

“Hey, you asked me, and I told you.” He pretended to pout.

“I never expected you to say that. I was thinking you’d tell me about your secret cigarette addiction.”

He eased himself up unto his elbows and beamed down at me. I lowered myself back down on the stack of fluffy pillows.

“I’m not addicted.”

“So why do you hide it?” I’d seen him smoking three times since I’d been here: the first day I’d arrived in town and two more times in the last few weeks.

Each time, he looked stressed. I assumed the stress was from Aria. The first time had to have been the night he’d reported her missing, and the last two times had to have been because she wasn’t here.

“I wasn’t hiding. I just don’t like smoking.”

“Ryan 101: Ryan smokes when he’s stressed out.”

“Brooke 101: Brooke is very insightful—sometimes too insightful.”

“I’m right?”

“Yeah. You don’t like smoking?”

“It’s sexy, but I don’t want anything to happen to your gorgeous lungs.” I giggled.

“Noted. I’ll find some other way to deal with my issues.” His lips slid into an easy smile. “Okay, since you just grilled me, you have to tell me something no one else knows.”

I thought for a moment, but just a moment. There was one thing that had happened over the last few months that no one else knew.

“I was really happy to leave LA and come here. It felt like an escape.”

“I thought you loved living in LA.” He searched my eyes.

“I do. It’s…okay. My job’s there, and I love that. It’s perhaps the only thing I miss, but coming here was like an escape from life.”

“What did you want to escape?” His eyes flickered with intrest.

I bit the inside of my lip. I hadn’t meant to talk about Craig with him, ever, but I guessed there was no real harm. After all, he’d spoken about Olivia, and I saw how hard that was for him.

“My ex got married. We share the same circle of friends so I’m always hearing about him when I really don’t want to.”

“Oh, God. I’m sorry.”

I laughed again. “Don’t be.”

“Did you love him?”

“No. Well… yes. Yes I did at one point, until I found out he cheated on me big time.”

Now Ryan looked angry. “What? And you guys still have the same circle of friends?”

I shuffled and nodded. “We were all friends in college.”

“Is Noah one of his friends?”

“No, he’s not. He wanted to kill him when he found out what happened, and honestly he never liked him anyway.”

“I want to kill him and I don’t even know him.” He gave me a pensive look, then something I couldn’t quite put my finger on flickered in his eyes. “Are you upset that he got married to someone else?”

I chuckled. I guess it would appear that way to the casual observer. “No, not at all. It wasn’t that, that upset me. I think I was more upset about the fact that um…” my voice trailed off.

I’d set myself up for this trap. Me with my games.

“What?” He reached out and touched my face. “What part upset you?”

“He made me feel like I was the kind of woman you cheat on.” That was the problem on the surface. I didn’t really feel like going in deep like I had with Sally earlier. I couldn’t with him.

“You aren’t.”

“I felt like that though. I felt like I was the kind of woman you aren’t serious about. The kind you don’t want to have a life with. He made me feel that way. I’m over it. Way over it.” That felt like a lie. I was absolutely over Craig, way over Craig, but not the damage he did to my mind. “It was just awful. So, that’s the thing, or things, no one else knows. I’m pretty certain if I spoke to any of my friends they’d tell me it wasn’t his intention to make me feel that way.” They sure would.

Janine would be the first to point that out and Shauna would agree. Then I’d look like the woman who was jealous of her ex, and I wasn’t.

They wanted to remain neutral in the matter and never commented on Craig in any negative way. I was certain that they probably spoke to each other about him, but they never expressed their opions on the break up to me. Truthfully, I hated it and I hated that they stayed friends with him, although I knew it would make their lives awkward if it was any other way because of their connections to him.

Ryan narrowed his eyes.

“No man who claims to love you would ever make you feel that way, even if you aren’t with him anymore.”

“You’re sweet, and I’m pretty certain you’re just saying that.” I laughed it off, trying not to show how much his words touched my heart.

“Brooke I don’t say anything I don’t mean.” His lips arched and he gave me that gorgeous smile I found so irresistible. “It’s true, and what I said is true too. Clearly he never knew you. He couldn’t have.”

“He knew me alright.” The asshole just never had any respect for me. “He knew well enough to have an ounce of common sense and know it was wrong to cheat.” Everyone knew that.

He shook his head. “I agree, but that’s not what I mean. I mean he didn’t know you. The real you. What’s inside you, in your heart and your soul. It’s what make’s you, you, and unique. If he knew you he would love you.”

He held my gaze and I swore it was like he took hold of my heart too. Right there and then, it felt like he reached inside me and took my heart. I could no longer keep it out of his reach.

His smile widened.

“You’re like that poem about summer.”

“Poetry.” I smiled against the inner swirl of emotion that rushed through me. “You’re not a big poetry fan.” I’d tried to share my love for poems and books with him. He looked interested for me, but I knew it wasn’t his thing.

“It’s new, but that summer poem you showed me reminded me of you. The Shakesphere one.”

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? I adored that poem.

“Tell me… tell me how I remind you of the poem.” I wanted to know. I wanted to hear his thoughts.

He smiled at first but then he looked serious. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? You are more lovely and more temperate because there’s so much to learn about you. Like how strong you can be, and how much you inspire others to be more than they thought was possible. I’ve seen you flip several situations that could have gone south and change it into something amazing.”

I knew instantly what he meant. His situation with Aria, and mine with Sally. I continued to listen hanging on to every word as he continued.

“Rough winds may come at you and shake you, but you bounce back. Summer is short, the time is short, and we see the the landscape change as the days go by, but you carry that light of summer within you. The light of hope, aspiration, courage and beauty that people look forward to when they see you. It’s always with you and never fades. It’s eternal. It’s you. All those things are you because it’s what you stand for. Hope, aspiration, courage, beauty. No one who knew all that about you would ever hurt you. Brooke, to know you is to love you, and that’s the kind of woman you always want in your life.”

All I could do was stare.

Something ran down my cheek. I gasped when I realized it was a tear.

I was crying.

I tried to wipe it away quickly but he caught my hand and held it tight at first, then pressed it to his heart.

I didn’t know what to say.

What did I say?

No one had ever said anything like that to me before. No one had ever made me feel so important. Like I wasn’t nothing, but like I was everything.

The simple touch and the vibrant beat of his heart told me everything.

He knew me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but he just smiled at me and leaned in to press his lips to mine. He lingered there in the stillness of the moment , just therewith his lips on mine, not kissing me, not moving.

It was the combo of the beauty in his words and him, having him close to me.

That was what made it happen.

That feeling that sparked in the hollow of my being. That hollow of emptiness that dwelled in my soul.

I felt it in that moment, and I fell for him.

That was also the moment when this agreement of ours became complicated.

I overslept and completely forgot I was supposed to be meeting Noah for breakfast.

I woke to a single pink rose next to me. It was after ten, so I knew Ryan must have left for work hours earlier.

All that he said was still burning vibrantly in my mind. Today it made my soul tremble and I didn’t know what the hell to do with myself.

Since there were ten missed calls from Noah on my phone I got dressed as quickly as I could, grabbed my rose, and dashed. I tried to push my feelings for Ryan to the back of my mind for now. Just for now.

On my way over to my house, I called Noah, hoping we could still meet, maybe for lunch.

It was as I was dialing the number that I saw him sitting on the front porch swing, looking at me with a sly expression on his face.

“Something you want to tell me, Brooke?” He laughed.

I opened my mouth to speak but didn’t know what the hell excuse to make up.

“No, except that I’m so sorry I missed breakfast.”

He laughed some more. “How about we do lunch and you can tell me everything.”

“Everything like what exactly?” Heat rushed to my cheeks.

“Brooke, you just rushed out of Officer Asshole’s house with your dress on inside out.”

My whole body blushed when I saw the labels of my dress sticking out from the side. “Um…”

“Yeah, busted. Come on, I got the whole day free. I can tell you how I proposed to Vanessa last night and she said yes.”

“Oh my God!” I squealed and rushed up to hug him, feeling so proud of him. “That’s the best news. Oh my gosh, oh Noah. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you. I hope you will say yes when I ask you to be my best woman.”

I laughed.

“I am saying yes now,” I said, jumping up and down.

“Thanks again. Okay, back to you I’m all ears. Spill it, sister. I told you karma would come for you somehow.”

Karma—I wished it were as simple as that.

No strings attached…

I didn’t know who the fuck I thought I was kidding with that mantra. I was attached and hooked, attached and hooked and so wrapped up in Brooke I couldn’t see straight.

That night we talked about her ex was…

God… I didn’t even know I had it in me to talk poetry, but more than that I didn’t mean to tell her how I felt. This was supposed to be a no-strings-attached relationship we knew would end. It wasn’t like we didn’t know.

I knew she was in town for eight months and then would be going home. That was what I kept telling myself all these long weeks. I just wished I hadn’t allowed myself to fall for her a little more every damn time I saw her.

Weeks later, I was love’s fool. The summer had flown by on a breeze, and Aria had returned home. Of course she insisted we all have dinner at our house the next night.

Brooke sat opposite me and Aria sat to my left, talking about all her adventures at summer camp. Her chatter was a much needed distraction for me, but at times I felt myself looking at Brooke as she listened intently to Aria.

“I had the very best students. It was amazing and I want to go back next year,” Aria continued on, so excited and bubbly.

“That’s great honey.” I smiled.

“I’m so impressed.” Brooke beamed. When she looked to me, her cheeks flushed.

It was because I was already looking at her, and I couldn’t stop looking. It was only when Aria cleared her throat loudly that we broke our stare.

“So, what did you guys do? I’m sorry, I know I’m talking your ears off.”

“Nothing much, just work,” I answered, nodding and thinking that was a good answer.

Aria rolled her eyes and huffed as she picked up her dinner roll and threw it at me. It hit me square in the face, and Brooke started laughing.

“What the hell was that for?” I threw my hands up.

“You and your lies. Oh my gosh, the two of you are worse than teenagers.” She pouted, looking from Brooke to me.

While Brooke’s laughter turned into a cough, I straightened up instantly.

She knows.

I’d sensed she knew, but now I knew she did.

“You know?” Brooke asked, looking completely embarrassed.

Aria rolled her eyes again. “What do you think I am, some blockheaded fool? Of course I know. I dropped several hints before I left. It was so over the top that I thought you’d guess I knew, but you probably weren’t listening.”

“Why didn’t you just say?” I had to ask.

“Really?” The sarcasm rippled in her voice. “Dad, come on. Anyway, I was making it easier for you guys to tell me with tonight’s dinner. I was expecting something more along the lines of a we have something to tell you conversation, not that you didn’t get up to anything over the summer.”

“You seem okay with it,” Brooke stated, looking surprised.

“Of course I’m okay—I’m ecstatic.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to think I didn’t care about you,” Brooke confessed.

Aria shook her head. “No way. I would never think that. First, because you aren’t like some people who try to butter me up with fake compliments so they can get to my dad, and next, because you were my friend first.” She did a sassy one-shoulder thing and smiled.

Brooke chuckled and looked back to me.

“I didn’t know if it would upset you that I’d moved in on one of your friends,” I said to Aria. That was true.

“Nope. Anyway, I’m going to dash. Brad wants to go see a movie.”

“The new Avengers?” I enquired, trying to stifle a groan.

“He does want to see that, but I told him I’d be seeing it with you instead. I figured you’d want to watch it at some point.”

I was stunned. “You’re going to watch it with me?”

She nodded, stood up, and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

“See you guys later.” She giggled and skipped away.

I watched her go, thinking back to that first night Brooke had come to dinner. It had been months since then, and so much had changed.

Brooke stood up and made her way over to me. I pulled her into my lap and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

“We should have talked about how we would tell her.”

“Yeah.”

“You have the most amazing daughter. I’m so honored to be her friend.”

She lowered her head to kiss me and I held her close, closer, not wanting to let go, not ever.

“I can’t get enough of you Brooke. I just can’t.” Something told me I never would.

“I can’t get enough of you either.” She exhaled, and it was the closest I’d ever seen her get to breaking through this no-strings-attached rule of ours.