“Yeah, because that went so well the last time, huh?” I muttered, feeling the heat rise in my chest. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that, but I couldn’t help it. All I could think about was the last time she had gone to a party and things went sideways. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t help her. The guilt was still there, clinging to me, making me feel like I failed her.

My protective instincts were going off like alarms. She was too damn important to me. I wasn’t about to let her just waltz into a situation where things could go wrong again.

Beverly’s gaze darkened a little. “Don’t. Don’t bring that up.”

I winced, instantly regretting the words, but it was already out there, wasn’t it?

“I’m sorry.” I dragged a hand down my face, trying to get a grip on myself. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Blake.” Her voice softened, but the way she said my name made my heart ache. “You’re worrying too much. I’ll have Tiffany with me. You’re not the only one who cares about me.”

I wanted to argue, to tell her that I wasn’t just worried. I wanted to protect her, to make sure she was safe. But something in the way she said it made me question everything. Was she pushing me away? Did she think I was too overbearing, too controlling?

“You don’t want me there, do you?”

“It’s not like that,” she replied, but the way she shifted on her feet told me otherwise.

I grabbed a random T-shirt off the rack and pretended to examine it. “You think I’ll ruin it.”

“I think you’ll be…you know. The way you always are.”

“Overthinking,” I supplied.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “Like at the piercing studio. And everywhere else.”

“So, what, you think I’ll follow you around all night, stopping you from having fun?”

She didn’t answer.

Which meant yes.

I nodded slowly, tossing the shirt back onto the rack. “Got it.”

“Blake…”

“No, it’s fine,” I lied, forcing a smile. “Go, have fun. Wear all the pink you want, B.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be like that."

“I’m just looking out for you, Beverly.”

She sighed, crossing her arms as she leaned back against a clothing rack. “I know. But you don’t have to be there for everything. I’m not some fragile little thing you need to protect.”

A tight knot formed in my chest.

Something about the way she said it made me feel like I was truly suffocating her, like the care I thought was helping was, in fact, the very thing pushing her away.