Crushed (Torn #7)(3)

“You have a boyfriend who’s really head over heels in love with your crazy ass. Please take note.”

She beamed before wistfully sighing. “I love my Taylor, but one can dream. Who would you have chosen, Carter or Bass?” she asked before shaking her head. “Oh, never mind, knowing your singular taste in men, you’d choose Carter.”

Was that a light jab? I knew I had been obsessed with one man all my life, but there wasn’t any need to talk down to me.

“Wow, you’re on it today, aren’t you? Good, ol’, judgmental you. Who knew?”

She made a face, as if stating she was sorry I had taken offence in her jab. “I think it’s all this bullshit wedding gloom. It’s just us two left. No surprise there.”

Uh, what was this woman on?

“Oh, shut up. You’re practically married. While I, on the other hand, have been purely and truly single for as long as I can remember.”

She immediately had a somber look about her, as though thinking on my personal pain. “You can change that any time you want, but you’re so f*uking stubborn. I’m not even going to start on that.”

“It’s not that easy.” Thinking it was different than acting on it. The taking initiative part was the hardest thing of all. She was with me through it all. Surely she must know how tough it was for me. I had tried, hadn’t I?

“Nothing ever is, but you gotta try harder until it’s not hard anymore. You have to make a decision and stick to it, even if it hurts.”

“I know, Tris,” I murmured, not in the least upset by her concern. “I know he won’t ever come to love me the way he loved her. I’m not stupid.”

“Then what are you doing? Since you already know this, what are you waiting for?”

Who f*uking knew? I was a lost cause.

“I don’t have a clue.” Sometimes, it was better to accept things the way they were instead of fighting against them. After all, it would only exhausted me, and I was at that point. When it came to Brody, when it came to my parents, I had all but given up hope that things would be different.

“Want my thoughts on it?”

“No thanks.” I directed a warm smile at her before reaching out to give her a tight hug. She was insufferable, but I loved her like a sister.

Upon being releasing from my grasp, she instantly cupped my face, staring directly into my eyes. “I’m going to give it to you, anyway,” she declared. “I think you should hook up with Carter.”

Uh…

I barked out a deep-bellied laugh, wondering if she had been smoking a joint or something. It was the most bizarre thing she had said all day.

“Are you trying to get me thrown in the water in the middle of the Aegean Sea, Trista? Because that’s a surefire way to get it done right there. Lindsey and I just made up. Hooking up with her brother is out of the question. Besides, Emma might murder me in my sleep. I know she’s married to Bass and loves him to death, but Carter and Ems … There’s a lot of history there, too.”

“It was just an idea; that’s all.”

Yeah, and a crazy one at that! Seriously.

I took a moment to take in her face before bellowing another round of laughter. I was already a wreck; there was no need to add on to my problems.

“He’s single and you’re single, both lonely birds out here mending broken hearts. What could be a more perfect solution?” she said as if it made the perfect sense, as if it was something I should have thought of.

“You. Are. Out. Of. Your. Mind.” She was, pure and simple.

Her green eyes lit up, signaling she had conjured another wacky suggestion. “I can ask Lindsey if it’ll be okay with her. I can play matchmaker.”

It was my turn to snicker, warming at the sight of her being inspired by her conspiring, beautiful mind. “How about I light your ass on fire?”

She rolled her eyes at me yet remained persistent in her cause. “You need spice, babe, and I believe Carter Mason can supply the demand, so why the hell not?”

Because…

Because!

“I think I need to get away from you,” I finally said, knowing I couldn’t take any more of this “you need to move on” speech. Not today, anyway.

“You love me. Besides, we’re on this yacht, and as big as this mega boat is, you can’t run that far from me.”

She had a point, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t try.

When I didn’t respond to her, she immediately pressed on. “Come on, Amber! You used to be fun.”

“Truth or dare doesn’t work that way anymore.” Her life was so different than mine. While hers had stabilized, mine hadn’t really changed. I was happy for them all—I truly was—but I couldn’t help wondering when I could get a break from it all.

Hailing down a passing waiter, she took two glasses of white wine before handing me one then taking a hefty sip of hers. “You loved teasing Mr. Wilson with that cute, little, plaid skirt you had on so he would give us a better grade in Chemistry class.”

Ah, good ol’ memory lane. One could always count on a good laugh with that in mind.

“We were caught cheating! I had to do something. If it weren’t for your cheat sheet, that wouldn’t have been necessary. And who goes into their finals drunk, anyway?”