“It’s not.”

“It is,” she said, smacking me lightly on the shoulder. “You make it right.”

“I can’t.”

“Ugh,” she groaned. “The only way you know that is if you don’t try. I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re with her, and I’ve witnessed you win more hack-wars than I can count.”

Shit. The TOC was two days away. In light of everything, I’d completely forgotten about the tournament I’d been working on for half the year.

“It’s like you’re this totally different person,” she continued. “Like…Super Dean.”

I laughed but knew she was right. Knew Amber had made me better in so many ways and yet still loved me for me.

Love. She loved me.

Then she gave me pieces of herself, and her whole heart, and I—

“Snap out of it, bro.” Tessa smacked my shoulder again.

“Ow!” I growled. “I am. I mean, damn it, Tessa.” I sighed, rubbing my shoulder. “I don’t know how to fix everything.”

“Boys.” She rolled her eyes. “You be real with her. Tell her you’re sorry for whatever dumb stunt you pulled.” She eyed me, giving me a minute in case I wanted to divulge just how badly I’d screwed up.

I didn’t. There was no world where I wanted Tessa to know I’d lost my shit because of her news. It wouldn’t be fair to her, and it hadn’t been fair to Amber.

Ass. Hole.

“Fine,” she continued. “Keep it bottled up, but talk to her.” She stood up. “And fast. I know you’re TOC bound in two days. You need to go into that with a clear head, and that means fixing things with Amber.”

I nodded, completely unsure of how to accomplish that. “Are you sure I can’t do anything for you. Feed you?” I asked, tilting my head.

She laughed from my doorway. “No,” she said. “Thanks but I can manage.” She snapped her fingers at me. “Don’t be like those guys who make a mistake and bury their heads in the sand for the rest of their lives. Be the guy girls lose their minds over.”

“I don’t want girls. I only want Amber.” The words cleared the fog over my brain, my heart restarting like the first breath after an ocean dive.

Tessa eyed me knowingly. “Exactly,” she said before shutting the door behind her.

Exactly.

But after what I’d done…

The trust I’d worked so hard to earn. Broken in a matter of minutes.

How could she ever find her way back to me?

A sharp realization hit me over the head—I already had the means to prove it to her, or at least, I’d already started it without even realizing.

Now, all I had to do was get to work.

And get her to listen to me.

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

Amber