friend and he knows all my secrets, even the embarrassing ones. If I have to pick between being his friend or nothing at all, I’ll take what I can get. That’s how in love I am. I’d rather sit on the sidelines and watch every other girl get the one thing I can’t have over not having him in my life at all. I’m pathetic.
“Have you even listened to one word I’ve said?” Danny asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“Huh?” I ask, finally turning to look at him.
He looks from me, to Preston, and back. He lets out a light chuckle and shakes his head. “Still have that crush, huh?”
My back straightens. “What? What crush? What are you talking about?”
He roll his eyes. “Yeah, right,” he mumbles as he takes a sip of his beer.
I bump my shoulder to his. “Seriously.”
He sets his empty glass down and turns to look at me. “I see it, Piper. Everyone sees it. Well, except for him, I guess.”
“Really?” I ask, feeling my face heat up. “He doesn’t know? At all?”
“He’s never mentioned it. You’ve never told him?”
“No way! I’m too afraid he’d turn me down. I mean, we’re best friends. To him, I’m built like a Barbie doll down there.”
He laughs. “I doubt that. You’re built too nice up top to just have a lump in your jeans.”
I bump against his arm again. “What do you think he’d say?”
He looks over at him again. “Honestly, I think he’d turn you down. But not because he doesn’t think you’re attractive or anything like that. I think you two have a relationship most people never get—something everyone wants. It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong; he will always have your back, because you’d do the same for him. He needs a constant in his life. And that’s you. I don’t think he’d ever do anything to jeopardize that. He needs you too much. He loves you too much to risk losing you.”
I sit back, watching Preston, and nod.
“I’m going for a refill. Need anything?”
I shake my head as he walks away. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I need to let this crush go and accept the fact that I won’t ever have Preston the way I want. But I feel slightly better when I realize I already have him in a way no other woman ever will. Well, at least not until he gets married.
Three
PIPER
Around midnight, the woman Preston’s been working on gets up and leaves. He stands back and watches her go with a smile. When she’s no longer in sight, he makes his way back to the table.
“Aw, leaving empty-handed?” Danny teases him.
“Yeah, but I got her number,” Preston says, holding a piece of paper between his index and middle finger. He tucks it into his pocket before looking over at me. “You about ready to call it a night? If you drink much more, I have a feeling we’ll be making that call to my parents.” He gives me a smile—a smile that’s reserved only for friends.
I nod. “Yeah, let’s do it.” I finish off my beer as he works his way out of the booth. When my glass is gone, I push myself up. The fast movement goes straight to my head. Dizziness takes over and I trip on my own feet, falling straight into his arms.
He’s smiling wide at my clumsiness but helps get me to my feet. “Whoa, guess it’s a good thing we’re leaving. Someone has gotten weak on us, Dan.”
“Screw you. I’m not weak and I hold my alcohol just fine. I just tripped over the table leg,” I lie. Truth is, I don’t drink as much as I used to. I find there’s no time in my life for hangovers.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s get you home,” Preston says, agreeing but sounding like he’s only doing so to keep me under control.
I smile and wave. “Bye, Danny.”
He laughs and shakes his head at me. “See ya next time, Pipes.”
Preston leads me out to his car in the parking lot. He opens my door and helps me down into the seat. I buckle up while he walks around the car and gets behind the wheel.
“Wait, aren’t you drunk? Should we walk again?” I ask.
He laughs. “I’m not drunk. I haven’t had a drink since that first pitcher, and that was, like, four hours ago.”
“What?” I ask, confused. Wasn’t he right there drinking beside me the whole time? Well, he was with that woman for a while. A lonnnnnng while. Now that I think