Page 79 of The Long Way Home

He gives me a gentle look. “I did, we just missed each other.”

“But we never don’t do it together.” My mouth sags.

“Do what together?” Jonah asks brightly, leaning in towards us.

“Nothing,” BJ says quickly at the same time as I say, “December 3rd.”

Jonah pulls back, curious. “And what’s December 3rd, Parks?”

“Nothing.” BJ shakes his head dismissively, but I lean over him to speak to his best friend. BJ’s hands move with my body, from my lap to my back.

“It’s just the most important date in our relationship mythology.” I give him a drunk smile.

“Oh.” Jonah smirks, catching his best friend’s eye just to shit him. “Tell me more.”

“Parks—” Beej whispers, his mouth right up against my ear.

I look at him.

“We could tell them,” I whisper.

“Tell them what?” Jonah asks, but we’re ignoring him now.

My eyes are locked on BJ’s. “I told Bridget.”

(“Told Bridget what?” Jonah grumps, but Beej shoves him away without even looking at him.)

His face has gone quite serious. He ducks his eyes down to mine so we’re level.

“Did you?”

I nod.

“How come?” he asks gently.

I stare at him for a few seconds, suddenly feeling a bit drunker than I’d like to be.

“Because I blacked out at the tree so Gibbs called her and then I had to.”

He blinks a couple of times. “You blacked out?”

I say nothing; his eyes wander over my face, brows low. If I was sober I might have been able to see it — everything between us, all the ties that bind, our two smashed-up hearts on the floor and we can’t even tell our pieces apart anymore but we’re the only glue we need so it doesn’t matter anyway — maybe if I was sober, and I could see it for what it was, I would have felt the rustle of the universe telling me everything is going to be okay.

“Were you drinking then too?” he asks.

“No, just crying.” I shrug.

His heart breaks a little on his face right there in front of me. “Parks—”

I lean on his shoulder. “Will you take me home now?”