Page 53 of The Heart Breaker

Ryan lifts both hands. “I just meant because you two are always arguing. Jesus. Relax.”

Some of the panic drains out of me, my shoulders dropping in relief. “Oh.” I clear my throat and try to act normal, even though my heart is still beating way too fast. “Yeah, no. I mean… I’d rather lick a subway pole than be in the same room as him.”

I let out a nervous chuckle, trying to cover up my freak-out. But it’s no use, they’re both looking at me warily.

I meet Isabella’s eyes and press my lips together into a tight smile, and for a second, I think about telling her about this whole thing with Cole.

I just feel like I need to tell someone, to get this shit off my chest. Besides, she’s my best friend. If there’s anyone I should be able to say this to, it’s her. Or Maisie. Maisie wouldn’t judge me… would she?

I groan inwardly, already knowing how it would go. They’d look at me like I’d lost my mind. They’d ask questions I don’t even have answers to, and honestly, I’m already judging myself enough for everyone. I wouldn’t even know where to start, let alone how to explain why I slept with him… again.

So I take another sip of coffee and pretend my life isn’t a complete disaster.

Ryan snorts and reaches for the syrup, shaking his head. “Well, your loss. You missed Austin singing ‘Like a Virgin’ on top of the bar.”

I arch a brow. “You’re joking.”

He shakes his head, leaning back against the counter. “I recorded it,” he says. “In case you want to see it.”

My eyes widen. “Hell yes.”

He grins, grabs his phone off the counter, and pulls up the video. Sure enough, there’s Austin, making a complete fool out of himself as he belts into a beer bottle. I snort under my breath. The guy sure loves karaoke night.

Isabella sets a plate of pancakes in front of me, then leans over my shoulder to watch the video. A laugh slips out of her. “Oh my God. He’s going to kill you if you post that.”

Ryan slides an arm around her waist and tugs her against his side as he slips his phone into his pocket. “Nah. He wouldn’t care,” he says. “Austin lives for attention.”

He dips his head and kisses her cheek, and she smiles, her eyes fluttering shut as she leans into him.

When I first got to Colton U, I’d been weirdly stressed about having a roommate. Sharing a space with a stranger sounded like actual hell, and I’d fully convinced myself I was going to end up with someone miserable or painfully awkward. Instead, I got Isabella.

Within a week, she stopped feeling like some random girl I’d been assigned to live with and became my best friend.

Isabella slides into the chair beside me and nudges my knee with hers. “Did you end up getting that tattoo?”

The question catches me mid-bite and I shake my head, swallowing down the pancake. “No,” I reply, jabbing my fork into my pancake—imagining Cole’s stupid face under it. “There were some… issues.” I shove a bite into my mouth before she can ask anything else.

Ryan looks up, his brows lifting. “You’re getting a tattoo?”

I nod and grab my phone, scrolling until I find the sketch I did a few weeks ago, and the second I hand it over, his eyes widen.

“Holy shit.” His eyes flick over the sketch. “This is badass. Where are you thinking of getting it?”

“I was thinking my upper thigh,” I tell him. “Kind of wrapping up the side into my hip.”

“That’s so cool,” he says, handing me my phone back. “Why didn’t you end up getting it done?”

Cole’s face flashes into my head. His hands on my leg while he placed the stencil. The tension between us, both of us acting like it was nothing when it so clearly wasn’t. We almost crossed a line that day.

Then we went ahead and bulldozed right over it.

Twice.

I’d been planning this tattoo for weeks before I ever stepped into Ink’d Out. I read reviews, compared shops, and made sure I picked the right place.

And I didn’t get it because of a guy. Just like I didn’t get one because of Chase.

He used to wrinkle his nose every time I brought it up, calling tattoos trashy and cheap, and for some stupid reason, I listened to him. I let his opinion get in my head, and I didn’t get the tattoo I wanted because of it.