Spiked by Love (Bellevue Bullies #6) - Toni Aleo Page 0,110

while it’s a completely confusing gift, it’s still a gift from Asher.

Always, Asher.

Tears burn my eyes as I lay it on the counter, but just as I set it down, I notice Posey’s eyes widen. I go to grab it before she does, but Posey is quick, even in her healing state. “Damn, girl, where did you get this?”

I wait. Surely, a lie will come, but nothing. Only tears. Only heartache.

How do I tell my other best friend that I’m in love with my best friend, but he’s acting like an idiot? I mean, I guess I could say that, but I don’t want to get into it.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I say, taking the ring from her and setting it down again. I feel her gaze on me as I wash my hands before replacing the ring on my finger. “It’s nothing.”

“Oh, it’s something. Are you involved with someone? You are! How long? Also, rude for not informing me!”

I take in a deep breath. “It’s complicated.”

She looks down the hall for our moms and then back to me. “I’ve got all the time in the world for you.” I move to put the muffins in the oven, and then I turn back to her. “Do they know?” I shake my head, and she nods. “Well, spill the beans, Ally. But I’m warning you now, if it’s Taco, I might be the one to strangle you, and Asher isn’t here to stop me.”

Asher isn’t here to stop me.

I don’t know why that hits me the way it does. I try to swallow my sob, I try to fight back the tears, but concern fills Posey’s features right away. She reaches for my hand, and as our fingers lace, I meet her gaze. “I’m in love with Asher.”

It’s like watching the gears turn in her head as she processes what I’ve just admitted. She takes in a deep breath, her eyes locked with mine, and as she exhales, she says, “What happened?”

And I tell her. Everything.

“I knew you liked him at camp.”

I give her a sideways look as I pull the muffins out of the oven. “No way.”

“Yeah, there was no way in hell you really liked that damn string-and-cans shit he always wanted to play with. It didn’t even work!”

For the first time in days, I really smile. “It did too! That’s how we talked at night!”

Posey doesn’t agree. “No, you did it because then it was only you two.” She’s not wrong. “The same with when we’d play Barbies. Even I’d get bored and want to do something else, but still, y’all would play for hours. Even now, Ally, it’s always just you two. No matter the distance, no matter what, you guys love being together. While I’m pissed you didn’t confide in me, I’m not surprised by your feelings.”

“Well, he was.”

“He was not,” she says, shaking her head. “He feels the same, and again, I’m not surprised he never loved Jasmine. She wasn’t you.”

I wipe away a stray tear and wiggle my nose before explaining what happened the night I want to forget but is seared in my heart. She cocks her head to the side as if she doesn’t understand.

Join the club, sister.

“He said Thanks?”

“Yeah.”

She blinks. “He gave you that ring, but he still said Thanks?”

“Yeah, you can keep saying it, but it’s still just Thanks.”

“What a dumbass. God, how can he be so damn smart but so dumb at the same time?”

I wipe away another tear before reaching for the crumble I made before I started the muffins. I sniffle as I top the muffins. “I don’t know.”

“You know he loves you, Ally.”

I shake my head. “I don’t, actually,” I say, meeting her gaze. “He’s done this with every other girl—”

“But you’re not them,” she insists, her eyes burning into mine. “Seriously. Don’t get in your head and ruin this. That’s what you’re doing, huh?”

I shrug. “Yeah, I’ve proved to myself I can live without him.”

She narrows her eyes. “Seriously?”

“I don’t know, Posey. I have to be smart here. What if he doesn’t love me? What if he isn’t capable?”

“Then I’ll take him out, and you can use Wes as a rebound fuck. And boom! That ruins his day because he was wicked jealous when Wes was interested in you.”

“He was?”

“So jealous, which was why I always thought something was going on.”

“I don’t know.”

But she seems so sure of herself. “For real, Ally. I feel y’all are the real deal. I’ve always said