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"With Liam"

My brows slanted down over my eyes, and I shook my head once "I don’t--what?"

Kristi smiled and rolled her eyes "It’s not hard to see that he has his eyes set on you Anyone could’ve seen it froht with you and tell you that for hi And Lia anyone who isn’t family"

"I don’t believe in love"

"Well then, looks like the two of you would be perfect if you wanted to be with hiuy who did relationships But I can honestly say, I haven’t seen a girl turn hih school Once he has his irl, it’s only a , really But like I said, I’"

Lovely "Well, I won’t be giving--"

"We’ve all made bets"

"I’m sorrywhat? Who has?"

"Everyone orks here," she saidonmore than what day of the week it was

"Well, I hate to break it to everyone, but it won’t be happening Your brother already knows that"

Kristi druainst the countertop for a few seconds before backing away and saying in a singsong voice, "If you say so!"

As if I wasn’t already havingto stay away fro forit to protect myself because of a past that still felt too present

If only I could re to stay ahen he was nearbonfire And trust meit wasn’t by choice Honestly Kira and I had sat down and had a long talk e’d gotten home from work about why I couldn’t be with Liam--as well as why I wouldn’t be with hi with her, there were differences between the two

Kira had actually seereed to stop pushing the whole thing onabout work and California, she’d asked if I wanted to go out to dinner since our only other options were ordering in or going to the grocery store We’d already ordered in alrocery shopping was the last thing I wanted to do

Well, second to last, as I’d cootten ready and driven to the restaurant--a restaurant that at that uised to look like the beach with a bonfire not far in the distance

Unfortunately for otten out and taken the car keys with her

So I was now standing there surrounded by a few people I’d met over the previous week, and many others I was almost positive I’d never seen before And what made it even better? Kira had taken off an hour before because Zane had called her, as I’d found out from Liam Which aveif I actually loved or hatedall the ways to shatter and destroy her beloved phone All the while trying not to go cross-eyed from the one-sided conversation I was a part of