She grins and I turn my back to her and wait for her to hop on. I carry her piggyback to the house and up the back stairs while dragging the cooler—next level multi-tasking. I leave the cooler on the deck and Sydney hops down.

The awkwardness is back now that we’re in this big house all alone.

“I’m going to shower. Do you need anything?”

She fidgets and bites at the corner of her lip. “No, I think I’ll shower quick too.”

“Cool.” Holy awkward, Batman.

In the shower, I lean a hand against the wall and drop my head to let out a long, frustrated sigh. I hate conflict and drama. Sydney and I have always been able to talk things out. Maybe I haven’t been one hundred percent honest with her, but I’ve sacrificed to keep our friendship. That’s the most important thing. Still is.

Dripping wet, I pad out of the bathroom running a towel over my chest. I dry off quickly to go find Sydney. I don’t want to go to sleep before we’ve cleared the air. I toss the towel and grab shorts from my bag. I’m about to head to her room when I spot a Sydney-sized lump on my bed. Upon further inspection, she’s passed out cold.

I climb into bed beside her. Her long, wet hair has soaked both pillows. Such a pain in the ass. The smile on my face and the lightness in my chest reminds me I don’t mind her brand of pain. It’s a relief to have her here and to know that despite the weirdness today, she still wants to be near me.

It’s dark out when I wake up. Low music filters from somewhere in the house and Sydney sings along. I find her in the kitchen cooking grilled cheese sandwiches.

“Hey,” she says. “You’re up. Hungry?”

“Yeah, starved actually.”

She points a spatula toward a plate with two sandwiches on it, both cut diagonally.

I take a seat at the counter and watch as she finishes her food and puts it on a plate. I’m working out how to best broach the topic of what I will now forever think of as the greatest kiss of my life. She gets there first.

“About today,” she starts as she takes a seat next to me. “I’m really sorry. I should not have put you in that position. I’d been drinking, not that it’s an excuse, and I guess I just really wanted to prove to everyone that what we have is real. You’re my best friend, Tanner. I never want to do anything to put that in jeopardy.”