Best Friends Don't Kiss

My finger hovers over the decline button, almost tapping it, but the rational side of my brain reminds me this isn’t something I can just avoid. Nor would it be fair to do that.

He deserves an explanation.

By the fourth ring, I hit accept on the call.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” I greet, but it might as well be the catalyst to a full-on rampage.

“What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?” Trev responds, his voice sharp in my ear. “You have some serious explaining to do, dude.”

Shit. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

“Luke, what the fuck?” he persists. “I’m torn between being really pissed at you for not telling me and assuming that I should probably be really happy for you because there’s only one reason you’d take a permanent leave from the company.”

God, I feel like such an asshole.

“Trev, I’m really sorry,” I eventually respond, my voice dripping with guilt. “I should’ve told you. I know I should’ve told you—”

“So, it’s true?” he cuts me off. “You got in? NASA chose you, and you’re going to Houston?”

“It’s true.”

“Goddamn,” he mutters. “When did you find out?”

“Honestly?” I question more to myself than him. “Way too long ago not to have told anyone yet.”

“Wait…you haven’t told anyone?”

“Besides telling Billy when I put in my permanent leave? No.”

“Not even Ava?”

Especially not Ava. “Nope.”

“What the fuck, Luke?” he nearly shouts.

“I know. Trust me, I know,” I agree on a sigh. “I’ve tried to tell her a million times, but every time, I just can’t get the words out. I just can’t tell her.”

The line becomes so silent that I start to think the call has ended.

“Trev?” I pull the phone away from my ear briefly to glance at the screen. “You still there?”

“You finally realized it, didn’t you?” he asks, his voice quiet.

I don’t even have to ask him what he’s talking about because I know.

I finally realized that I’m in love with Ava.

“Yeah, man. I did.”

“Well, it’s about fucking time,” he retorts through an exasperated laugh. “I mean, it’s only taken you over a decade to face the fact that you’ve been pining over Ava Lucie since college.”

I have no response to that, but he has more to say.

“That’s why you can’t tell her, isn’t it?” he questions. “Because you don’t want to leave her.”

Bingo. His words are the dart, and my chest is the bull’s-eye.

“Everything is so fucked up.”

“You need to tell her,” he says, and his voice is gentle with sympathy. “She deserves to know the truth.”

“I know. I’m going to.”

“Shit, man, I hate to cut this call short, but I gotta get off here. Barry and I have to get ready for a late-nighter to Miami,” he updates. “I’m going to see you before you leave for Houston, right?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good. And, Luke?”

“Yeah?”

“Congrats, man. I’m still pissed at you for slow-rolling that news, but mostly, I’m just super fucking happy for you. And good luck with Ava. I hope she takes the news easy.”

Yeah, you and me both.

“Thanks, Trev.”

After we end the call, all I can do is stand there, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror and wondering if I’ve somehow screwed things up by not telling Ava about NASA yet.

Fucking hell.At quarter till three in the morning, I hop out of the stretch limo and head toward the front porch of Ava’s parents’ house.

The night consisted of fifteen guys, lots of beer and shots, and a pub crawl that ended at a shady strip club on the outskirts of town. Not to mention, me realizing that in order for everyone to come out of this night alive, I needed to stop drinking and play babysitter.

Truthfully, I’m thrilled it’s over.

“I’m getting married, Luke!” Zach shouts, half of his body hanging out the sunroof of the stretch limo. “I’m getting fucking married!”

“You are,” I respond, but understanding that it’s almost three in the morning and we’re in the middle of suburbia, my voice is more of a whisper than anything else. “Now, how about you go home to your beautiful bride-to-be and celebrate?”

“Holy shit, you’re brilliant!” he shouts again. “Fucking brilliant! I’m going to sex Kate so hard tonight!”

I cringe a little over the fact that he’s shouting that just outside of Kate’s parents’ house but figure it’s best if I just get inside the house, so he’s not tempted to keep yelling crazy shit toward me.

My fingers tap across the keypad on the garage, and I wave toward the limo driver once I’m stepping inside. As soon as the door shuts, I head into the house and, thankfully, find it to be completely silent and dark.

Quietly, I head upstairs, more than ready to climb into bed.

But when I step into Ava’s bedroom, shutting the door behind me, I’m shocked to find a naked Ava sprawled out over the comforter and sheets.