“Did you do it?” He sensed the new presence next to him without having to turn his head.
“Yeah.” The disapproval came through loud and clear. “You should’ve done it yourself.”
“I couldn’t.”
“You have arms and legs. You could’ve picked up that locket, walked into the dorm and up the stairs to Farrah’s room, and handed it to her.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Blake tossed back the rest of his drink and slammed it on a nearby table. His head pounded with tension.
“I don’t know shit because you won’t tell me shit.” Sammy jabbed a finger into Blake’s chest. “You better clue me in fast unless you want another punch to the face. Obviously, you still have feelings for Farrah, so why the big breakup?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it.”
Blake exhaled sharply. He looked around. Everyone was too lost in their own worlds to pay attention to him and Sammy. Luke, Leo, and Nardo gathered at the bar with a few other guys. Courtney and Kris danced like maniacs to the latest Top 40 chart-topper. Farrah and Olivia were nowhere in sight.
“Not here.”
Blake led them to the terrace and closed the sliding door behind them, muffling the music and raucous laughter. The rain had cleared, and the moon shone bright in the sky.
Sammy leaned against the railing and crossed his arms over his chest. “Let’s hear it, Ryan.”
“Who are you, and what have you done with Sammy Yu?” Blake tried to lighten the mood. He’d known Sammy for months. He’d never seen him like this.
Sammy didn’t smile at the unintended play on words. “It pisses me off when people hurt my friends, and you hurt one of my best friends. I want to know why.”
Sammy might tell Farrah. She was, as he said, one of his best friends.
But this was Sammy. As much of a stranger as he’d been this past month, he would never go back on his word.
Blake’s jaw worked as he rifled through his options. “Promise you won’t tell anyone. Not even Olivia. Especially not Olivia.”
“I promise.”
Blake hesitated another second before he spilled the beans. New Year’s, Cleo, her pregnancy, why he broke up with Farrah. Everything. As he spoke, Sammy’s expression morphed from anger to shock to sympathy before settling on a mix of all three.
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re going to be a father.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re in love with Farrah, and you’re having a baby with someone else.”
Blake flinched. Sammy’s matter-of-fact summary of his mess hit harder than it should have. Blake had months to reconcile himself with his situation; clearly, he still had work to do.
“You need to tell Farrah.”
“No!”
Sammy’s eyebrows shot up at Blake’s vehement response.
Blake sucked in a deep breath. The mere thought of Farrah finding out the truth had his heart skittering like a panicked rabbit. “She deserves a clean break.”
“She thinks you played her.”