Two days had passed since the reunion gossip took over cyberspace. Maybe three. Gabi was too emotional to remember.

And still Blake hadn’t contacted her. Not by phone, or email, or Skype, or Twitter, or carrier pigeon. The more time that passed, the less heartbroken she became. Anger was now her best friend. Not even Alana could answer her emailed questions. It seemed Blake didn’t want to talk to anyone about his problem.

She’d plastered on a brave façade for what seemed like an eternity and faced her parents and friends head on, along with their questions of Blake’s fidelity.

“It’s a publicity stunt,” she’d answered to her mom and dad’s carefully worded enquiries.

“He’s going through some private issues back home that I can’t discuss,” she’d explained to Tammy. At least that hadn’t been a lie. She couldn’t discuss it with her friend because Gabi had no clue herself.

Everyone had glanced at her with sympathy, as if she was delusional. Perhaps she was. It seemed even more likely now that she sat in front of her laptop, poised on the brink of purchasing a one way ticket to New York.

On her way home from work yesterday, she’d driven past a billboard that announced the start of an international airlines major flight sale. Coincidence? Maybe. Fate being a conniving little bitch? Most definitely.

Overnight, Gabi had resigned herself to seeing Blake as soon as possible. Even if he called now and explained each of the thousand burning questions haunting her, it wouldn’t be enough. Her insecurities had gone past rational thinking days ago. She needed to see him. To read his expression and not quit pestering him until he caved and told her what the hell was going on.

She’d emailed her university lecturer and left a message for her boss. Neither one of them would be happy with her sudden disappearance, but it was only a matter of time before she ruined her grades or got fired in her current state of distress.

Everything came together nicely in her mind. Her passport was valid. She could pack her suitcase today, work tomorrow, and once her shift finished, she could take the last available flight to Sydney, waiting in the airport until her connecting flight to the US arrived.

There.

Easy.

And the icing on the pathetic excuse for a twenty hour flight was the timing for Mitch and Alana’s engagement party. Yay me.

It seemed too irrational, even in her crazy state of mind, to spend her entire savings on the trip without speaking to Blake first. Pride had taunted her, demanding that she wait for him to make first contact, yet the appropriate time for him to do so had already passed. Yes, she needed to see him, but not if he planned on breaking up with her as soon as she arrived.

Before she could contemplate the outcome, Gabi reached for her phone and scrolled to his number. Even though the international call fee would send her broke, she pressed the button to connect.

With the first ring, her skin broke out in a sweat, and she wiped her damp palms on her pajamas. The fact that it was ten in the morning and she was still in her nightwear spoke volumes about her motivation, but that was the least of her problems.

The call connected and the split second of silence stopped her heart. The female’s voice that followed shattered it completely.

“Hello,” the woman said, her voice low and sleep-roughened.

“Uh…hello.” Gabi choked on her words.

A woman was answering Blake’s phone. A woman with a voice so husky it sounded like she’d been deep-throating for hours. With less thought than it took to make the call, Gabi pressed disconnect.

“Bloody hell!” She squeezed her phone and clenched her stomach at the emotions threatening to explode. “Argh!” A scream burst from her lips and her mobile went flying across the room. The loud crack when it hit the plasterboard made her crumple to the floor. She crawled on hands and knees to pick it up. “Please don’t be broken. Please don’t be broken. Please don’t be—Motherfucker!”

The screen was smashed, and a chunk of plastic was missing from the back, exposing the electronics inside. This was exactly what she needed—in a completely facetious sort of way.

It didn’t stop her from stalking on her knees to her laptop and slamming her finger down on the Enter button. There! Tickets purchased. It was one thing to drag out the breakup of a short relationship with your long-distance girlfriend. It was another to ruin a highly dependent, long standing friendship.

Blake had some explaining to do, and Gabi wouldn’t rest until she knew what the hell was going on.

“New York, here I come.”

* * *

Alana swept into Blake’s dining room, placing a tray of cookies down on the table. He watched as she smiled at Michelle who sat across from him, then walked around Mitch at the head of the table, and came to Blake’s side.

Her skin was pale; her beautiful features more tarnished from the flu than when she’d first entered his apartment an hour ago. She shouldn’t even be here, but Mitch insisted on being his wingman when he confronted Michelle, and apparently, Alana refused to stay home.

She leaned into him, and he tilted his ear toward her to better hear her hoarse, whispered tone. “Your phone rang while I was in the kitchen. I’m sorry, I thought it might be a business call and I could take a message—”

Blake leaned back and realized her lack of color came from anxiety, not illness. “That’s fine, Al, no problem. What did they want?”

Her gaze shot to Mitch, then snapped back to Blake. She leaned closer, the heat of her breath brushing his skin. “When I picked it up, Gabi’s name was on the screen. I’m so sorry, Blake. I know you’ve been keeping your distance from her, but I couldn’t help answering.”

He straightened, his heart beginning to beat like he was running a marathon. “How is she? What did she say?”

“I said ‘hello,’ and so did she. Then she hung up. I don’t think she recognized my voice.”

Of course she didn’t. The hits just kept coming. Alana’s voice was barely recognizable to him with the harsh scratching that accompanied her flu symptoms.

“OK.” He nodded, keeping his voice even so Michelle wouldn’t sense his panic. “I’ll sort it out later.”

Alana pulled back, her brow furrowed.

“Don’t sweat it, honey.” He gave her a halfhearted smile. “The situation couldn’t get more fucked up if I tried.”

A pained sigh escaped her lips. She turned and walked away.

Mitch leaned forward, his gaze focused on Alana’s back while she fled the room. “What’s going on?”

“I hate to interrupt,” Michelle sneered. “But I’ve got an appointment in less than an hour. You asked me here to talk, so talk.”

Mitch straightened in his chair, the side of his jaw ticking.

“Fine,” Blake growled. “I asked you here because I’ve had enough. I’m drawing a line in the sand. You blindsided me at the airport, and I’m not taking the risk that you’ll spring that shit on me again. I’ll give you one more opportunity to claim whatever media attention you think you need, then this is over. I’m done.”

Michelle’s head tilted, her gaze slowly turning to Mitch. “He knows?”

“Yeah, I know.” Mitch crossed his arms over his chest. “And I also plan on making your life a living hell if you share those photos.”

Michelle smiled without warmth. “Honey, I’m already there.”

“Yeah,” Mitch scoffed. “I can tell by your manicured nails and designer clothes.”

Her smile turned to a glare, and she pushed from the table to stand. “I don’t need this.”

“Sit. Down.” The command barked from Blake’s chest, loud enough to shock Michelle to plop back into her seat. “You have one opportunity—a club opening, a celebrity birthday, I don’t care. Just name it so we can get this over with. And let me make this clear, we will be seen as friends and nothing more.”

Michelle narrowed her gaze. “Do you think one public appearance at a stupid club opening is going to give me the attention I need? You’ve gotta be kidding. I won’t agree to that.”

Her response was expected and solidified his decision to move forward. “Then do what you have to, Michelle. Release the photos. I don’t give a shit. I’m done.” He pushed from his chair and stepped away from the table.

Moving forward was his only option. He couldn’t continue to fear the future, and he needed to be back with Gabi. He would spend the next century regretting and apologizing for making the wrong decision, both to himself and the woman he loved.

“Wait,” Michelle called.

He glanced over his shoulder and found her standing, her chin high and cheeks flushed.

“Fine.” She raised her brows. “I’ve picked an event—Mitch’s engagement party.”

“Ha!” Mitch laughed. “That’s funny.” Then his face fell. “Wait, you’re joking, right?”

Michelle rolled her eyes and focused her confident stare on Blake. “One night. That’s it. The paparazzi will be buzzing, and I can butter them up with an inside scoop on the happy couple.”

“No.” There was no need to contemplate. It wasn’t an option.

“We could make it work,” Alana’s raspy voice came from behind him. “Sorry.” She smiled sheepishly when he turned. “I was listening from the hallway.”

“No, Blake’s right.” Mitch pushed from his seat and walked to Alana’s side. “It’s our engagement party.” He swiped the loose hair on her cheeks behind her ear. “I won’t let her ruin it.”

“She won’t, will you Michelle?” Alana’s tone was light, but the underlying venom was unmistakable.

Michelle’s lips pulled into a sneer. “Of course not.”

“Alana, no.” Blake couldn’t risk ruining their engagement party. “It’s not an option.”

Alana stepped forward, stopping a foot away from him. “Let us do this for you.” She pinned him with her hope-filled gaze, her eyes sparkling with optimism. “If having her at the engagement party is all that it takes to clear this mess, we’ll be happy to do it.”

She bridged the distance between them and hugged him tight, resting her cheek against his shoulder. Something inside him fractured. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back his helplessness and circled his arms around her waist. He didn’t want to let go. She reminded him of Gabi. Her scent. The soft material of her clothes, the warmth of her body, the way she didn’t let him go. Christ. He couldn’t do this.

He opened his eyes and met Mitch’s glare of disapproval. “Back the fuck away, buddy.”

The familiar playful banter made Blake smile. Through the darkness, disillusion, and hopelessness there would always be time to shit-stir with Mitch.

He kissed Alana on the temple and let her go. “We can finish this later, sugar.”

Mitch raised a brow, and the corners of his lips twitched. “Let’s finalize this so we can get outta here.”

“Are you really willing to risk your special night?” Blake asked. He could laugh and flirt and joke with Mitch and Alana for the rest of his life, but right now he needed to be sincere.

Mitch shrugged. “If Allie’s happy, then I’m happy. And besides, her gun toting mom is coming. So bringing along a skanky date is the last of your worries.”

Blake winced at the memory of Mrs. Shelton and Michelle cleared her throat, which they all ignored.

“You sure?” Now that freedom was within his grasp, his heart began to stutter.

“Yeah, no problem.” Mitch shrugged away the enormity of the situation. “You’re my bro. I’d do anything for you.”

Deep and meaningfuls weren’t their style. In fact, it felt awkward. Really awkward. Blake grinned, hoping to break the discomfort. “Like letting me seduce your fiancé?” He had no interest in Alana sexually, but the thrill of teasing Mitch was too damn hard to resist.

“Like refraining from using my fist to break your face.”

They both smiled and glanced at Alana who rolled her eyes.

“Well, now that your emasculating moment is over, can we work out the details?” Michelle hissed. “I need to get out of here.”

“Oh, she’s such a lovely little thing, isn’t she?” Alana mumbled, reaching for Mitch to entwine their fingers. “We’ll leave you to it.”

Mitch patted him on the shoulder before walking from the room.

“Right,” he swung around to face Michelle. “Let’s get started on the rules.”