If We Ever Meet Again - Ana Huang Page 0,66

but she remembered Courtney and Nardo being gone for a while. Back then, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but now…

“I thought you guys were in the bathroom for a long time!”

“There was a long line! And it’s not like we had sex. We only kissed.”

Farrah pinched her temple. She had so many questions she didn’t know where to start. “Why did you kiss him in the first place?”

Out of all the guys in the program, Nardo was the last person she’d expected Courtney to cheat on Leo with (not that she expected Courtney to cheat at all). Nardo was pretentious, insufferable, and not even that cute unless you’re into the preppy hipster type. Meanwhile, Leo was smart and kind and beautiful and, well, better in every way.

“I dunno.”

“Court.”

Courtney sighed. “I was drunk and pissed at Leo about our fight earlier that day, and Nardo was looking at me like…like he would never say the things Leo said to me. The kiss just happened. It’s a shitty excuse, but that’s the truth.” She looked down again. “It was a one-time thing. It’s not like we were having an affair this entire time. Nardo and I don’t like each other like that. The kiss confirmed it.”

Farrah was torn. A part of her knew Courtney was wrong for cheating on Leo. That was the one thing she’d never tolerate in a relationship—cheating. It wasn’t about the physical act. It was about the trust. Once broken, it was hard, if not impossible, to mend.

Still, Courtney was one of her closest friends. She brought Farrah chicken soup when she was sick, held her hair when she had too much to drink, and was always a call or text away when shit went south. Sure, she could be bossy and entitled, but she had a good heart. She was also the core of the group.

If Farrah had to choose between Courtney and Leo, she knew who she’d choose. One hundred percent.

“So why’d you tell Leo now?” she asked. She tried to keep her tone as non-judgmental as possible. “Thailand was a long time ago.”

“I wasn’t going to, but my aunt said something—” Courtney gnawed on her lip. “It’s not important. Anyway, I couldn’t keep the secret any longer and I thought enough time passed that he’d hear me out. I was wrong.”

Farrah’s head spun, trying to figure out what this meant. “So are you and Leo…over?”

“Most likely.” Courtney smiled weakly. “We were never really together, anyway. Not the same way you and Blake or Sammy and Liv are. Leo and I both knew whatever we had wasn’t going to last after FEA.”

“That’s not true,” Farrah argued. Except, looking back in hindsight, it was true. She’d inflated Courtney and Leo’s relationship in her mind when she had a crush on him because even the slightest interest from one of her friends in a guy she was interested in was a huge obstacle in her mind. But now that she was no longer interested in Leo, she realized how casual Courtney and Leo’s relationship had been, at least compared to the others in the group. “He’s still pissed about you and Nardo. That counts for something.”

“I suspect that’s his ego talking more than anything else.” Courtney sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. I like Leo a lot, but we’re not end game. He’ll cool off, and we’ll go back to being friends. I hope.” She bit her lip. “That’s what I’m worried about most. I don’t want the group to fall apart when we only have three months left.”

Three months.

Panic inundated Farrah’s system. She’d repressed thoughts of what might happen after this semester, but Courtney’s words brought all her fears to the surface.

Once FEA ended, that was it. The group would scatter to their respective home bases in the US and see each other...when? Once a year, if they were lucky, until enough time passed and study abroad was nothing more than a faint memory.

Farrah’s chest heaved at the thought of never seeing her friends again. Sure, there was social media and Skype, but it wasn’t the same as hanging out in person. Would the group remain as close as they were now if they didn’t see each other every day? Doubtful.

There was also Blake. She lived in California; he lived in Texas. Over 1,000 miles separated them back home, and while Farrah knew people who’d been in long-distance relationships, she couldn’t think of any that lasted.

She didn’t realize she’d reached for her necklace until the metal