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need to go back to that life of yours. Without me.”
    I prop a pillow behind me, sit upright in the bed, pull my legs up, and wince at how sore I am. It was worth it.
    “You don’t mean that,” I say.
    Gunner sighs as he zips his pants. “I thought I was perfectly clear last night, Harlow. It was just sex, remember?”
    I nod. I do remember him saying that. And making me repeat it. I’m not naïve, I’m not playing dumb. I knew Gunner would pull this, but I don’t intend to make it easy.
    “Look, Gunner, I didn’t come back to Piedmont for you. I had my reasons; running into you again was a bonus—”
    He lifts a dark eyebrow, gives me half a smile, and tosses me my shirt. “Running into me? That’s what you’re calling it, really?”
    “Yes. And I’m not stupid,” I say.
    I’m not.
    And I wasn’t three years ago, when he walked away.
    Well, maybe I was innocent, but I know what we had and I know the reason Gunner walked away had nothing to do with not loving me. I may be a romantic, but I’m not blind. I know what I see and I know that I see Gunner Hunt wanting me bad.
    “I didn’t say you were. But you knew what this was before you took your clothes off. I was clear.”
    “I’m also not desperate. And if I believed for a second that what you actually want is for me to disappear forever, I would. But it’s not.”
    Gunner sucks in a deep breath. I stare at his long, lean torso and want him back in this bed. I toss my shirt back at him.
    “So, you want one more round before you take me home?” I ask.
    *******
    “I’m assuming based your ambiguous text, and that hot mess of hair that last night went well?” Daisy asks from the small breakfast nook of our apartment.
    “Last night was…” I toss my boots into the closet and grin like an unstable idiot. “A start.”
    “A start? What the hell does that mean? You stayed the night with him, did you not?”
    “I did. But it’s been a long time, you know? He’s just as guarded as he ever was, maybe more so now.”
    “So, he used you.”
    My smile drops. “No. Not at all. I wanted it. I wanted him. I think he’s just scared of hurting me, but I’m not a kid anymore, he’ll see that.” I pull my hair out of the pony tail I’d yanked it back into on the ride home on the back of Gunner’s bike and let it fall free. The soft movement of the curls bouncing on my shoulders makes a chill run through me.
    “So, how’d you guys leave things?”
    “Things are fine,” I say, then clamp my mouth shut.
    Daisy has been my best friend since we were kids, she knows good and well that when I say fine , I mean anything but.
    “Fine, huh?”
    “Yep.”
    “Harlow, look.” Daisy tosses down the newspaper she’s reading—something my dad told her to start doing, because all respectful, responsible members of society read the paper every day. What a crock. Dad isn’t exactly the keeper of all the morals. “I know Gunner is hot. I know you guys have mad, crazy, hot sex. I know you even think you loved him—”
    “I do. Love him.”
    Daisy shakes her head. “You don’t even know him anymore. I don’t want to see you torturing yourself over some guy who is in your past for a reason.”
    “I’m not torturing myself. I’m perfectly happy. Besides, I just saw him for the first time in years; just give it a rest while we both sort things out.”
    “Sort out what, though? Is he with someone?”
    “I don’t know.” I honestly didn’t even think to ask him that. I didn’t really care in the moment.
    “It’s just that I remember that summer really well, Harlow. I was fine getting ditched so you could roll in the hay with your man, but I really thought it would be a summer fling. I never thought I’d be making ice cream runs and watching Lifetime movies for hours on end for your entire first semester.” Daisy screws her mouth to the side.
    “I know I leaned on you hard.” I put my hand out and grab my best friend’s. “How bout I promise