What We Brave

I didn’t run.

I want that on the record. Blake Moore detonated a bomb in the middle of my life and disappeared to a war zone, Reid chose his best friend over me every single time it mattered, and I’m still here. Same town. Same job. Same apartment I picked when I decided, for the first time in thirty-two years, to stay somewhere.
I’m not the one who left. That’s new for me.
Reid wants another chance. He’s sorry. He’s so sorry. And I believe him — that’s the worst part. I believe him and I still can’t let him back in, because every time he looks at me with those golden retriever eyes, I remember that he didn’t believe me.
Then Blake comes home.
He’s not supposed to be a factor. He’s here for Reid. Here to fix the damage, patch the cracks, and step aside like none of it ever happened.
But I know what happened. He told me he loved me. And the way my pulse kicks when he walks into a room tells me the feeling wasn’t as one-sided as I’ve been pretending.
I kiss him. Because apparently I’ve lost my mind.