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“Then, hi, Easton. Good to see you. How’s the weather where you’ve been? There. Are those the things we needed to talk about?”

He reaches for my hand, sliding his palm against mine before extending his index finger.

Circle, circle. Tap, tap.

Damn him.

My defenses melt away almost instantly.

When I lift my eyes to meet his, he’s flashing me a crooked smile. “I thought you could use a reminder that we were best friends once upon a time.”

Sighing, I slowly take my hand away. “I haven’t forgotten, Easton.”

“No? Then why are you running away from me?”

Turning back to the bartender, I watch her make my drink. “Like I said, I needed a refill.”

Yeah, maybe some liquid courage will help me handle being near this man again, especially after our last encounter—because talking to him like this after almost three years is making every feeling from the last time we saw each other assault me from all angles.

I kissed Easton—well, his neck, really—and he turned me down.

I had never been so embarrassed, but he was right. I wasn’t sober enough to really understand what the ramifications of that night would have been if I had followed through with my desires.

But spending a week with him while he helped my family through a difficult time?

It reminded me what a good man Easton really is. And I thought I felt something shift between us.

Besides, lord knows I don’t have luck with picking good men normally. Easton made that perfectly clear on prom night too.

Jesus, Lennon. You really fucked this up, didn’t you?

And the way he’s looking at me right now is that same look he had when he showed up at the hospital—the one where his eyes conveyed that he’d never let anything happen to me.

Too bad I can’t find that confidence in myself, even though I’m trying. Starting the nursing program was definitely a step in the right direction, but I still have a long way to go.

He eyes my drink as the bartender slides it across the wooden surface to me. “You sure you need another one?”

“Yes. I need one more night of fun before next semester starts.”

His eyes dip down to my lips for just a second, and if I hadn’t been looking directly at him, I probably would have missed it.

“I guess I should let you get back to it then. Just…be careful.”

“I’m not yours to worry about, Easton. You made that clear the last time we saw each other, remember?” As soon as the words leave my lips, I regret them. But hearing that protectiveness in his voice is making me recall what it felt like to be rejected by him.

Recognition crosses his features as he leans closer and drops his voice. “Is that why you’re all pissed off? Because I stopped you from making a mistake that night that you couldn’t take back?” His eyes dip down to my lips again and then back up.

“You acted like the whole week meant nothing…” I whisper back to him, giving him my honest truth once more, since I’m the reason we’re having this conversation now and perhaps it will make me feel better to tell him how he hurt me.

“By not taking advantage of you?” he fires back with a shake of his head. “Sorry I wasn’t a selfish asshole.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re a good guy, Easton. The type of guy that I don’t go for, right?”

Easton leans back as his eyes bounce back and forth between mine, and I can almost guarantee he’s thinking back to prom night, just like I am.

Sighing, he reaches up to adjust his cowboy hat. “You know what? I’m gonna leave you to your fun before one of us says something we can’t take back. It was nice to see you, by the way. Congrats on starting the nursing program. I know you’ll be an incredible nurse.” He tips his hat down and says, “I guess I’ll see you around.”

I watch him retreat, fighting the urge to cry.