Chapter 25

Luke’s POV

It’s been ten days since I drove Roxie home from the club, too drunk to manage her own seatbelt. We've found reasons to see each other every day since — the club, the diner, one afternoon spent arguing about paint colors at the hardware store. I don’t even remember why we were there, to be honest.

She'd barely said a word the whole drive that night, just stared out the window. I figured she was shaken up like everyone else — what Tristan did to Marie, what Dean did to him after, was more than enough to knock anyone sideways for a night.

Twenty years I knew that guy. Best friend since before I could tie my own shoes. I keep going back through old memories looking for the moment I should've caught it and never find one — just a hundred small ones I noticed and waved off, easier to laugh about than actually look at.

Not thinking about that tonight, though. Can't.

Tonight's the first time I've actually been