It wasn’t just one surprise. It was a whole afternoon of surprises. Wes played tour guide and took us to all the nearby attractions. We took silly photos in Times Square, ate our bodyweight in pizza slices for lunch and went to the top of the Empire State Building. Wes even forced us all to buy matching “I heart NY” T-shirts. We all looked ridiculous in them, but they made everyone laugh as we darted about the city sightseeing. I loved every minute of it.
By the time we arrived back at Cress’s place, it was already getting dark, and I was exhausted. We’d walked all over New York today, so I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle a night out on top of that.
Anna, Cress, and I collapsed on the bed when we reached Cress’s room. The boys had both gone home to change before the evening’s activities, so it was just the three of us.
“I’m exhausted,” Anna said. “I have shopping stamina that lasts for days but absolutely no endurance when it comes to sightseeing.”
I nodded firmly in agreement. “Yeah, my feet are toast.”
“It was a fun day though, wasn’t it?” Cress said. She was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling.
“It was the best,” I agreed. I’d barely stopped grinning all day, but it wasn’t the sights that had made me so happy. It was my friends.
“And so sweet of Wes to organize it all,” Cress said, glancing in my direction.
“Yeah, super sweet,” Anna agreed. “It’s almost like he went out of his way for a certain someone who’s never been to New York before.” She shot me a knowing look. “A certain someone he really likes.”
“He doesn’t like me like that.”
“No?” Anna asked. “Because most boys wouldn’t go to that much effort unless they liked a girl.”
“Definitely not,” Cress added.
“We’re just friends.” I protested, but the girls were right about one thing; it had been really sweet of Wes to be our tour guide today. He knew how much I wanted to see New York. He’d even come to rescue me from shopping earlier and take me to the place I wanted to see most.
“Let’s not forget he also offered to kiss you,” Anna said.
“Because he’s a good friend.” Even I didn’t think it sounded convincing when I said it out loud.
Anna wasn’t listening. “Plus, he’s kind, smart, superhot, and finally single. I’m just saying, if you were interested in dating another guy, you really couldn’t go wrong with Wes.”
I frowned up at the ceiling as I considered it. I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. Wes was a great guy, and I really liked him. But did I like him as more than a friend? I wasn’t sure.
The thought of moving past Noah and being with someone else caused my chest to constrict with anxiety. My heart was still resisting the idea of closing that door in my life. As much as I hated it and as much as Noah didn’t deserve it, I still had strong feelings for him. We were never going to be together, so perhaps it was time to open a new door. Maybe Anna and Cress were right, and Wes could be something more to me. But it wouldn’t be fair to try to move on with him when I was still hung up on Noah. The problem was, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get over Noah. I shook my head. I was too confused to give voice to my thoughts.
Cress sat up on the bed. “You’re thinking about it. Aren’t you?”
Anna nodded. “She definitely is.”
I looked between the two of them. “I don’t know what to think.”
“Well, you don’t have to think anything for now,” Cress said. “You don’t need to rush things. Take your time, and I’m sure everything will figure itself out.”
I gave her a grateful smile. Cress was right. There wasn’t any pressure to rush into a new relationship. Especially not when I was still hurting over my old one.
“Well, I totally think you should rush. It’s much more fun that way,” Anna said. “But you probably shouldn’t listen to me. I have really poor luck with guys.”
Cress laughed and nudged her shoulder against Anna’s. “That would be your advice.”
Anna shrugged. “Hey, I’m more a live now, regret it later kind of girl.”
“And you’re always getting into trouble because of it.”
“Always,” Anna agreed with a sly smile. “Anyway, who knows, maybe we’ll find you another dreamy guy to set your sights on tonight.”
“A guy from New York?” I asked.
“Why not? I still think a rebound would do you wonders. It’s pretty clear you’re still hurting after Noah.”
“Is it really that obvious?”
“I guess to us it is,” Cress said. “But we’re your friends. We wouldn’t be very good ones if we couldn’t see you’re still hurting.”
I let out a sigh. “Yeah, I guess I am. Spending the weekend here with you both has really helped take my mind off it though.”
“I knew a good distraction would do the trick,” Anna said. “Now, let’s start getting ready for our next distraction—an epic night out on the town.”
Cress clapped her hands together with excitement. “I can’t wait to dress up in my new outfit. If we start getting ready now, we can relax until the twins get here.”
Cress’s prediction was optimistic. There was no time left for relaxing before the twins arrived because the girls used every available minute perfecting their hair and makeup.
They both insisted on helping me, and I had to admit they did a pretty incredible job. Anna had straightened my normally wavy hair and styled it up in a high ponytail so it wouldn’t get sweaty while we danced the night away. Meanwhile, Cress had given me a glam makeup look. It was a lot heavier than I normally went for, but I felt much more grown up when I saw myself in the mirror. It was like looking at an older version of myself, and I kind of liked it.
“You guys are beauty wizards,” I said, grinning as I turned away from my reflection to look at the two girls. They were finished with their own hair and makeup and already dressed in their clothes for the night. They looked gorgeous. Then again, they always looked incredible.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Cress said with a wink.
I laughed and glanced at myself in the mirror again. It was so weird seeing such a different reflection staring back at me, but it gave me a boost of confidence. The face I wore tonight felt like a mask, and the girl behind it could be anyone. I didn’t have to be the sad girl who’d had her heart stomped all over by her ex, and the feeling was somewhat empowering.
“Now, go put this on,” Anna said, holding out a dress that looked short enough to be a top. “I want to see the whole look.”
I took the dress without complaint and headed into the bathroom across the hall. Anna had taken one look at the outfits I’d packed for the weekend and told me none of them would do. She’d insisted I borrow one of her new items from today’s shopping spree, and since I had no idea what was appropriate to wear to a club, I hadn’t had much leverage when I tried to argue that my own clothes were fine.
I squeezed and shimmied my way into the tight black dress. It was sparkly and short, which highlighted my legs. When paired with stilettos, they looked impossibly long.
“You look hot,” Anna said as I stepped out of the bathroom. She was standing by the bedroom door like she’d been waiting for me. “Fair warning, Wes is definitely going to offer to be your rebound again when he sees you like that.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure he won’t.” My heart fluttered a little at the thought.
“He definitely will,” Cress said as she appeared in the doorway next to Anna. “Damn, we’re good.”
“The best,” Anna agreed. “I think all our hard work calls for a little champagne.” She pulled a bottle out from behind her back and wiggled it in the air.
“Where did you get that?” I asked.
“I raided the Farley wine cellar. There was no lock on the door, so I assumed it was all fair game.”
Cress lifted her eyebrows.
“What? It was a champagne emergency!”
Cress laughed and snatched the bottle. “You think everything is a champagne emergency.”
“Well, it is!” Anna replied. “Now, you two get in close so I can get a picture. You both look gorgeous.”
Cress skipped over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Anna pointed her phone in our direction before I could object, and Cress and I grinned.
“Cute. But you need to smile like you’re having fun.”
“We are having fun.” I laughed.
“And we’ll be having even more fun once this champagne is open,” Cress replied. She popped the cork on the champagne, and the bubbles fizzed out the top of the bottle. The two of us squealed as it erupted into the air before we burst into fits of laughter.
“Anna, did you shake the bottle before giving it to us?” Cress asked.
“I swear I didn’t.” She was grinning widely, so I wasn’t sure whether to trust her. She must have seen the uncertainty in my eyes because she continued. “What? I would never. That’s like champagne blasphemy. Such a waste.”
“Champagne is practically her religion.” Cress poured the drink into the elegant glass flutes already in the room. I was guessing Anna had helped herself to them too.
“Sure is.” Anna wasn’t looking at us as she spoke. Instead, she was staring at her phone, her lower lip sucked between her teeth as she concentrated.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Just showing the rest of the world what they’re missing…” She turned the phone to us, and I could see she’d posted one of the pictures she’d just taken to Instagram. It was the moment the champagne had erupted, and Cress and I were laughing. It was fun and cute, and even I had to admit we both looked amazing in the picture.
She’d captioned the photo “Girls night with my BFFs,” and my heart warmed to think she counted me as one of her best friends. I felt like we’d grown close, but it almost had me tearing up to know she felt the same way too.
“Oh, I love it,” Cress said.
“Me too,” I agreed with a smile. And I loved these two girls. How did I get so lucky?
“Ha! It’s already blowing up,” Anna said as she checked her phone again. “Sawyer’s posted about a million flame emojis. He also says they’re on their way and to stop having fun without them.”
Cress laughed. “I bet they were nowhere close to leaving, but now he’s gotten FOMO, and they’re already in a car.”
“Definitely,” Anna agreed. “Sawyer gets the worst FOMO.”
“What about Wes?” I asked. “Did he comment on the picture?”
Anna smirked at me. “No, but I bet he was leading the charge to get here when he saw you in that dress.”
My cheeks flushed as I realized how the question might have looked to Cress and Anna, like I wanted Wes to be just as impressed as Sawyer. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“And I’m sure it is,” Cress said. “You should have seen the way he was looking at you today while we were out being tourists.”
“And how was that?” I asked.
“Like he thought you were adorable.”
“I mean, she kind of was,” Anna said. “Did you hear her squeal of excitement when we arrived at Times Square? And then how she actually gasped when she saw the view at the top of the Empire State Building? It was like watching a puppy being given a treat.”
I poked my tongue out at them. “You guys suck.”
They laughed, and Anna raised her glass of champagne above her head. “Here’s to a fun night.”
We clinked our glasses together before taking a drink. Anna practically downed hers in one gulp while Cress and I only took small savoring sips.
“We should probably head downstairs to meet the boys,” Cress said.
“Yeah, we can grab another bottle of champagne too,” Anna added. “Your parents have excellent taste.” She happily trotted off downstairs, and Cress followed her with a shake of her head.
I went to grab my phone from where I’d tossed it on the bed before I joined them. There was a text message waiting for me, and my stomach tied itself in knots when I saw it was from Noah.
The message had only been sent a minute or so ago, so at least I knew it hadn’t been sitting there unread for hours while the girls dolled me up. I was tempted to delete the message without reading it. But I wasn’t strong enough. I was far too curious to know what he’d sent. With a mixture of dread and anticipation, I opened the message.
Noah: I wish things were different. You’re so beautiful. It breaks me.
I stared at the text, my heart warming and shattering all at once. Why did he send that? And why now of all times?
I wondered if he’d seen Anna’s Instagram post. It was the only explanation I could come up with given the timing. But that didn’t make it okay for him to text me. He knew we couldn’t be together. He knew I wanted to move on. His message only messed with my head, and I hated him for sending it.
I gritted my teeth and deleted the message, wishing I could wipe it from my brain just as easily. This whole weekend was about forgetting Noah. Why did he have to make it so hard? Every time I felt like I was beginning to make progress, he went and derailed it all with a stolen look or a surprise message.
I hated how much I missed him. I despised how my heart still leaped when I saw his name lighting up my screen. I wished things were different too, but there was no changing the past, and I didn’t want to spend another second living in it.
I placed my phone back on the bed where I’d found it, deciding to leave it there for the night. I didn’t need any more cryptic messages from Noah, and I refused to let him ruin the rest of my time in New York. I downed the remainder of my champagne in one gulp before making my way downstairs.
Tonight was about having fun and moving on. Noah’s message had only made me more determined.
