Tyler and I had planted ourselves against a wall on the far end of the rooftop –that was quickly getting crowded– while I told him everything that had happened earlier.

"Do you think he is saying the truth? Regarding one of your friends going behind your back?" He asked once I was finished.

I looked towards where my friends were standing and slowly shook my head. They seemed to be engrossed in some conversation along with Jace and Ryan.

Neil, Avi, and Ash were like my family. I couldn't even imagine them doing something like that to me.

"No. They'd never do that to me," I mumbled.

I looked back at Tyler who seemed to be deep in thought and said, "But it doesn't make sense. How else would Max know about my dad?"

"Have you told anyone else about it? Anybody?" 

I began to shake my head, but abruptly stopped when I remembered something. "Julian."

I met Tyler's eyes and he visibly tensed for a second.

"He would never do anything like that." Tyler frowned. "He is my brother, I know him. I trust him."

"I know. I trust him too, " I quickly said. "I'm just telling you that he is the only other person who knew about it."

He nodded, and we both fell silent for a long time. There were a thousand questions running in my mind; to which answers neither one of us knew.

He put an arm around my waist to bring me closer to him, and I wrapped my arms around him. "We'll figure it out, whatever it is. Don't worry." He kissed my temple and sighed. "Besides, maybe Max said all of that to just mess with your head."

"Maybe..."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt." I heard Ash's voice from behind me and I turned around, to see her standing there with a grin on her face. "Can I steal V for a sec?"

"Of course." Tyler dropped a kiss on my head and stepped away from me.

"I'll go find the guys. Don't get into too much trouble," he smirked, before turning to get lost in the crowd.

"You guys are so darn cute together," Ash gushed, as soon as we were alone.

I just shrugged in response, but I couldn't hide the big smile plastered on my face. 

There was an awkward silence between us, before Ash said, "I'm sorry, V."

"What are you sorry for?" I turned to look at her.

"For everything that happened downstairs with Ian. It looked like I was protecting him and accusing you of causing a scene."

"Nope, wrong answer. " I shook my head.

"Huh?"

"You should be sorry for being okay with him treating you like that. You should be sorry for even entertaining the idea of getting back together with him!"

"I didn't want–" she started defending herself, but I held up a hand to stop her.

"Don't even try to lie to me." I crossed my arms over my chest and she looked down at her feet, before looking back up at me.

"I'm not as strong-willed as you, okay?" She sighed, her eyes teary. "I really thought I loved him. We had some really great time together, you know?"

I nodded, a sudden pang of guilt washing over me. I never stopped to consider how difficult this might be for her. They were really very close to each other once and I knew how much he meant to her.

"When he left, I was scared to picture my life without him. After spending so much time together, and knowing what exactly it felt like to be with him, I was scared of being alone again."

"I...I'm sorry. But you know I'm here for you, we all are, " I tried to comfort her, but it sounded like the lamest thing to say. Honestly, I was just scrambling to say the right thing.

"I know. And now I feel pathetic. I really thought I had moved on from him, and then I saw him tonight and..." She trailed off and quickly wiped a tear away.

"Come here." I opened my arms and she quickly stepped into them and wrapped her arms around me. "You're not pathetic. Don't ever say that again."

I tightened my arms around her for a few seconds before I pulled away. "Can I say something?"

"Since when do you ask for permission?" The corner of her lips lifted up in a small smile.

"I think it's ...strange that you think being single again is so bad. Being alone for a while won't kill you," I said. "It's better than letting that inconsistent jerk make you feel like garbage."

"I know." She nodded.

"I know it's hard because you guys were pretty close and you have some really good memories with him. But that's it. They're just memories, not your reality, and you can't let them hold you back." I slung an arm around her and she leaned into me. "You could do so much better than him."

"You're right," she mumbled.

"Of course, I am," I smirked and she chuckled.

"Let's go find the others, now. Okay?" I said, after a while and she nodded.

We walked over to where Neil, Avi, Jace, and Tyler were standing.

Avi looked at us and raised his eyebrows in question. "Everything okay between you two?"

I nodded and Ash said, "She can't stay mad at me for too long."

"Good. Because I don't want my two favorite ladies to be upset with each other." Neil grinned and I chuckled.

After a while, Ryan and Julian joined our little group too. As soon as Julian spotted me, he walked over to stand beside me.

"I didn't know you get along with Ryan so well." I smiled.

"All of Tyler's friends are cool." He shrugged. "But Ryan and I have a lot of similar interests."

I nodded. There was a beat of silence and I decided to address the issue we were both avoiding.

I pulled him a little away from the group. "Um...so about what you saw earlier..." I trailed off, referring to the kiss he walked in on.

"Please just don't do that in front of me again," he requested, with a pained expression, making me laugh.

"Sorry. We got a little carried away."

"Clearly." He smiled. "So are you guys in a relationship now?"

"Not really. Uh...I guess we're just testing the waters for now," I answered and he nodded. 

"Are you okay with this?" I wondered if his discomfort was from something more than just witnessing his brother and me getting it on.

"Yeah...I am." He gave me a small smile, before looking away, avoiding my eyes.

"You're lying." I pointed out. "Tell me. What is it?"

"It's just...nevermind. You'll probably think I'm being selfish."

"No, of course not. Remember what we promised each other the first time we met? No judgments. No opinions. No expectations."

"That was when you were a stranger to me. Now you're not."

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"It's just...you are my first real friend you know?" He gave me a wry smile. "You weren't forced or obligated to be my friend. You chose to be my friend. Our friendship was a safe space for me ..."

"It still is," I said, softly, when he trailed off.

"I know. It's just that our lives are tangled up now and I'd hate to lose you over it."

"What do you mean?"

"What if...and I hope it doesn't happen but...what if you and Tyler don't work out? Or it ends badly?" He looked at me, hesitantly. "What about us?"

"It wouldn't change a thing," I firmly answered.

He shook his head and looked away. "I wouldn't want to choose between my brother and you."

"You won't have to," I assured him. "What happens between me and Tyler, will never affect us. I promise."

"I hope so." He smiled. "Having said that, I think you guys are perfect for each other. "

But before I could answer him, I heard Neil's loud voice as he dragged me back to the group. "I swear, she had a crush on him too!" he said. "Tell them, V."

I looked up at him, confused. "Who had a crush on whom?"

"You on Josh." He grinned and I glared at him. God, he didn't know how to shut his big mouth.

There was a time I had a tiny crush on Josh before he became the president of our student council. But I didn't really do anything about it and I eventually got over it.

When he asked me out last year and I realized he felt the same about me, it was too late. I had moved on, and he was just a good friend to me, now. Nothing more. I went out to get some coffee with him, just to be polite and told him I wasn't looking for a relationship.

I couldn't imagine why Neil would bring that up right now.

"Why are you guys talking about that right now?" I muttered.

"One of the girls I know from our school Volleyball team asked Josh out for the homecoming dance, and he turned her down. So when Ash commented that maybe he is still not over you. . ." Neil smirked. ". . .Tyler here wanted to know all about it."

I looked at Tyler and he shrugged. "Just curious."

Curious, huh?

"It was years ago, guys. He is a really nice guy." I saw Tyler frown and I continued with a smirk, "He is really cute too."

"I see what you're doing there," Julian whispered from behind me. 

"Who, me?" I looked at him innocently and he chuckled.

After a while, the conversation moved on to other topics and I tuned myself out.

When Julian stepped away to take a call, I got myself a glass of lime soda, one of my favorite drinks, and walked over to the edge of the rooftop, to take in the view.

If anything has the power to make one pause for a moment and contemplate life, it's a panoramic view accompanied by the carbonated nostril-tickle of a favorite beverage.

I sighed and leaned against the railing. It was almost close to midnight and I had to get home soon. Hopefully, Dad would be back tonight and I could end this crazy night on a happy note. 

"So Josh, huh?" A familiar deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I smiled.

"Yep," I answered, smugly.

"Do you still think he is cute?" Tyler asked.

"Of course I do," I said and he frowned, making me laugh.

"It's not funny."

"It is though." I grinned. "Don't worry, I don't have any feelings for him. He was just someone who had caught my eye for a while."

"Good. I don't want any competition," he muttered and wrapped his arms around my waist.

We stood there for a while, taking in the view, before he softly spoke, "Well, I really hope I'm not someone who has just caught your eye."

I looked up at him and smiled.

"You're not just someone who has caught my eye." I kissed his jaw before nuzzling against his cheek. "I think you'll be the one to capture my heart."