Chapter 43: : Chapter 43

I was in a vehicle, with people.

Tasmin, her boyfriend, Miles, Skylar, Zoe, and I were all squished in Tasmin’s SUV.

Friends. Laughing.

I was in the twilight zone.

We were on a road trip heading to Cain. The hockey teams were playing. And since Cain was almost ground zero for Tasmin’s entire family, well; we were going for the weekend.

I was also hiding in the back.

But still. Twilight zone.

“So, are you and Cruz officially out?” Tasmin asked from the driver’s seat, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

I gave her a look. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh my God!” Skylar erupted while Zoe dissolved in laughter. They were in the back seat. Skylar added, “He slept over last night. By the way, you and he are that quiet.”

“What?” I was mortified.

Zoe couldn’t stop laughing, and she shook her head at the same time, waving her hand in the air. “We’ve known for a while, but we didn’t say anything because you’ve made it clear you wanted to keep it quiet.”

Skylar snorted. “Until this morning. I was going for a run this morning and saw the two of you seriously making out next to his truck.”

Oh. God. I’d gone down with him to say goodbye. We were going to either hop into his truck or go back upstairs. His coach calling him stopped us.

I slouched down in my seat, ignoring Miles laughing next to me. “You and Cruzzie. You two a thingie.”

“Finally!” Zoe was grinning from ear to ear. “Also, that’s his sweatshirt, right? You wear it the time.”

I glanced down. She was right. It was one of his hoodies, I’d forgotten it was his. “I didn’t know you could tell it’s his.”

“It has his number on the back.”

My cheeks got hot because I’d really forgotten about that.

I was just shaking my head because there wasn’t anything I could say. Look at me, and how I’ve progressed. Tasmin, in a car with my roommates, and they’re all teasing me about my boyfriend… Or I was assuming he was my boyfriend? We’d not had that actual talk, but no, we were. He said he wanted to be my man. I was his woman. The officialness of this all was new to me.

“Just shut up, you guys.”

They all howled after that.

“You’re making me regret acknowledging you as friends.”

“Never!” Tasmin was beaming at me via the rearview mirror. “Consider me locked on like a zebra mussel. Where you go, I go and you’re never getting rid of me.”

“Look at you, knowing your different types of mussels.” That was Miles.

Tasmin just gave him a smile.

My phone buzzed, and I tensed.

But it was Skylar.

Wade, who still hadn’t heard from Angela, and I was the only one who knew why besides the hockey house. I shifted in my seat, feeling a little constricted.

I laughed, giving her a look over my shoulder, then switching to Skylar.

“Wait. Are you two texting too?” Zoe grabbed Skylar’s hand, pulling it down so she could read her screen.

“What, what, what? Who’s texting and not sharing?” Tasmin wanted to know.

Skylar was fast, but not fast enough. Zoe plucked her phone out of her girlfriend’s hands and read through, then sighed. “Oh. It’s nothing. They’re talking about where they want to eat tonight.”

She handed the phone back to Skylar, the two squeezing each other’s hands before Zoe mouthed to me, “So sorry.”

I texted back.

Skylar showed her, and Zoe’s smile softened. Zoe shared her screen, and Skylar pumped her head up and down at me, agreeing.

Having friends felt nice, but I double-checked my seatbelt was secured.

Just in case.

Another text came through. Unknown number.

I didn’t let myself read it. I just blocked it, and yeah.

Friends.

All was good.