The drive to Liv's was short — ten minutes at most — but I still blasted the music loud enough to drown out the things I didn't want to think about. My thoughts kept circling back to the way Callum had looked at me at the rink. Like I wasn't invisible. Like I wasn't just Kaden's little sister anymore.
But he hadn't said anything.
And neither had I.
The sun was higher now, warming the dashboard and making my skin glow where it hit my legs. I tugged at the hem of my dress even though it didn't need fixing.
By the time I pulled up to Liv's driveway, she and Jackson were already outside waiting. Liv was in a cropped white tee and cutoff shorts, perched on the hood of Jackson's car with a lollipop in her mouth. Jackson leaned against the side of it, texting.
When Liv saw me, she hopped down and grinned. "You look hot."
I smirked. "You always say that."
"Because it's always true." She eyed me closely. "You good?"
I shrugged. "I mean, define good."
Jackson looked up. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah." I waved him off as I shut the car door. "Just… had a weird night."
Liv raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"
I slid onto the curb beside her and pulled my legs up, resting my chin on my knees. "Callum's back."
That got her attention. "As in Callum Adler?"
Jackson looked confused. "Who's Callum?"
Liv elbowed him lightly. "Her almost-something. The guy who ghosted her without ghosting her. Tall. Looks like a sad movie boy."
Jackson blinked. "Wait. That guy's real?"
"He's very real," I said softly. "And he slept at our house last night."
Jackson let out a low whistle. "So… how do you feel about that?"
I let the silence stretch. Cars passed. A lawn mower buzzed faintly down the block. My chest felt too tight for how casual this was supposed to be.
"I don't know," I finally said. "It's confusing. I used to think I loved him. And maybe I did. But we never actually had a thing. Not officially. It was just… moments. A lot of quiet looks and shared silences and things I never said out loud."
"And now he's back," Liv said gently.
I nodded. "Yeah. And it's like everything I buried just started screaming again."
Jackson glanced between us. "Do you still like him?"
I thought about the way he'd looked at me in the hallway. The way he didn't look away.
"I don't know if like is even the right word anymore," I whispered. "It's more like… he's a part of me I never got to understand. And now I'm not sure if I'm ready to."
Liv leaned her head on my shoulder. "You don't have to figure it all out today."
I nodded, but my fingers were already tugging at the fabric of my dress, nervous energy buzzing through me.
Because deep down, I already knew:
Callum being back changed everything