Page 99 of Always Choosing You

Jay shrugged. “I’m the one who brought you into my mess. But I realized as I was with you that I was still pretending to be someone I wasn’t. And as I started to discover who I really was—the things I like, the way I want to spend my time—I was scared to show this new side of myself to you. I thought…I thought maybe you wouldn’t like me anymore.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Please, listen.” She nodded, and he continued. “When you broke things off, I thought I was heartbroken. But at some point, I realized it wasn’t heartbreak. It was fear. Because when I no longer had this tie to home, I was free to be who I really was. And that really, really scared me. But it was the swift kick in the ass I needed, to stop using others as a way to make myself feel better, to find happiness in who I really am.”

Jay reached for her hand, but not in a romantic way. As her friend, as the boy who loved to wrestle and pull pranks and make crude jokes.

Rory squeezed it. “That’s huge, Jay.”

“I know, how mature of me,” he teased. “Do I get a medal?”

“How about a punch in the face? I hear you’re gunning for a black eye.”

Jay winced. “Okay, yeah, I deserve that.”

She crossed her arms. “If you’ve been doing all this self-reflection, then why taunt him?”

Jay pursed his lips. “It’s fun.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wrong answer. Try again.”

Jay didn’t look her in the eye as he spoke. “Finding out you chose him over me made me feel like shit, even if we were never really dating.”

Rory rubbed her neck. She needed to speak her truth; she knew she wasn’t all that innocent either. “This isn’t all on you, Jay. It’s my fault, too, and I’m sorry. Part of me wanted to use you as a way to make Ty jealous after he started things with Zoe. I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “What’s going on with them, anyway? It’s fucked up, if you ask me.”

“Yeah…I know. Let’s just say it’s not at all what you think.”

“So they’re not really dating.”

“You said it. Not me.”

“But that still leaves you in second place, Rory,” Jay said. “And a girl who kisses like that should never be in second place.”

Rory let his words roll right over her. She couldn’t deal with Tyler right now. One messy boy problem at a time. Instead, she wiggled her eyebrows. “That good, huh?”

Jay shoved her. “Don’t let it get to your head.”

“Too late,” Rory teased. “So…what happened to that girl you posted on Instagram? Are you seeing her?”

“God no. That picture was actually taken at a party last summer. I posted it to piss you off,” he said, looking guilty. “I actually haven’t seen anyone since.”

Rory smirked—she’d suspected as much. “Which means you’re wide open for Kitty Cat.”

“Shut your mouth,” Jay said. In an instant, he had a cotton candy–colored spoon in his hand, ready to pounce. Rory snatched one herself and they started fighting, their battle going on until a line of customers started to form outside the shop.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Here they come!”

Rory rushed over to where Vanessa was perched on the couch with her laptop, leaning over the armrest to get a closer look.

Sean’s first batch of pictures popped up in the editor’s shared drive, images of the Haverport seniors dressed in colorful gowns and sharp tuxedos as they entered the dance. So much excitement. So much makeup. So much love and hope for what the future held after graduation.

“Is it weird that I’m really happy I’m not there?” Vanessa confessed.

“No,” Melanie said, plopping down next to Vanessa, her ponytail swinging as she placed a plate of empanadas down on the coffee table. “I’m relieved.”