“What?” I sighed.
Julian crossed his arms over his bare chest, his mouth opening and closing with words that wouldn’t come out. Hating how my eyes kept wanting to drift lower, I looked away from him.
Eventually, Julian cleared his throat. “Kelly and I broke up.”
My eyes shot over to his face, noting the drained expression and tight, clenched jaw. Even more than usual. He took a step closer to me, and without even consciously realizing it, I took a step closer to him.
Weighty silence fell over the room. The house was quiet, except for the slight creak of the floorboards as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. The moonlight flooded through Julian’s open window, that soft summer breeze making the curtains dance around the frame. And the oddest sensation settled in my chest.
“You and Kelly broke up?” I prompted, feeling like walking out on him now would be rude.
He nodded. “I thought…” He rubbed his jaw in thought for a moment. “I thought we were on the same page. About not wanting to do long distance. She…didn’t feel the same.”
I stared at him, unsure if I was comprehending correctly. “So you broke up with her? I thought you really liked her.”
Me? I wasn’t a big fan of Kelly Mcvarish, but I didn’t have a good reason. She was fine. But there was just something about her that grated on my nerves whenever I saw her. Over the last few months, sometimes I would show up at the Briggs house and collide with a smiley blonde. And I always had to pretend to be happy to see her.
Julian shook his head, his eyes avoiding mine. “I liked her, but…”
He never did finish his sentence.
