The Starbucks closest to the Hutch's condo has earned a lot of business from me over the last month. Whether I have a hangover or just a hankering for caffeine, this is where I come. I hope the place won't be ruined for me after this lunch date with Becca and Nik.

I can't stop tapping my foot against the tile floor as I sit at one of the wrought-iron tables with Becca, anxiously waiting for Nik to arrive. Despite the many reassurances from Becca that she will not cause a scene, I can't stop the anxiety from flooding through me. I never thought that this would be happening. I was delusional for a long time, thinking that Becca would never find out about Nik and he could just be my secret forever.

"Would you stop tapping your damn foot?" Becca hisses at me for the third time. "Your such a stress case, Haven."

I cease my tapping and attempt to flash her a murderous glare. She laughs.

The sound of the bell above the door sends my heart racing through my veins. My head snaps to the front door and my stomach drops at the sight of Nik. He flashes me a smile and then lets out a small chuckle as he approaches the table.

"You look fucking terrified." He laughs as he grabs my arms and pulls me out of my seat. He wraps his arms around me and squeezes tightly. I breathe him in, and my anxiety ebbs ever so slightly. We break apart and Nik turns to Becca. "You want one to or what?" he holds his arms open for her.

As Becca rises to her feet and flashes my boyfriend that smile, I need to remind myself that they were friends once too. Almost as close as Nik and I were. It doesn't stop me from clenching my fists tightly together when she wraps her arms around him. I take note that he doesn't hold her the way he held me and I hate myself for making the comparisons.

"It's like I'm meeting a new person." Becca laughs and gives Nik a hard poke in the arm. Nik gives a sarcastic 'haha' and settles into the chair next to me, pulling it closer and slinging his arm over my shoulder.

"So, Haven seems to think this is going to be awkward." Nik begins, flashing me a devilish smile. "What do you think?" He directs the question at Becca, who folds her arms across her chest and darts her eyes between the two of us.

"It doesn't have to be awkward." She smiles and takes a sip of her coffee. "Of course, Haven does have a tendency of making things awkward when they don't need to be."

"That's what I said!" Nik slams his hand down on the table and laughs. Great. So this is just going to be the two of them against me now?

"There's also the fact that you weren't the one lying to me for the past month. So why would there be any awkwardness between us?" Her voice takes on that sickly sweet tone and I know we are in for it. "I think the only thing that might be a tiny bit awkward is the fact that I think you're both ridiculously stupid for doing this to each other." She shrugs nonchalantly and leans back into her chair, sipping her coffee as she analyzes us.

I turn to Nik, ready to apologize to him for my best friends' behaviour, but he fixes his gaze on Becca, his expression reflecting mild amusement. His mouth twitches into a small smile and he clears his throat. "Well, I guess it's a good thing neither of us give a fuck about what you or anyone else thinks about us."

Becca laughs and her eyes rake up and down Nik as she appraises him. It makes my stomach turn to watch, but I know what she is seeing. The same things I see in him. A different person, somebody who stands up for themselves and won't be pushed around.

"I just don't want either of you to end up hurt." She states and her tone is milder now.

"It would hurt more if we didn't have this time together." He replies without missing a beat. I fix my eyes on him and smile from ear to ear. His gaze meets mine, and I silently exchange a thank you with him. I could not have said it better myself. I offer him a quick kiss and lean my head against his shoulder as I meet Becca's eyes.

Her blue gaze is piercing and I know she is struggling with the idea of letting this go. It's not as if her arguing with us about our decision to be together will change anything. Finally, her eyes soften and she lets out a tiny sigh of defeat.

"Are you happy?" she asks and I dive to answer but she holds her hand up to silence me. "I mean you." She nods at Nik.

"Yes." He answers with certainty.

"And your... stable?" She whispers the word, and I realize she truly cares about Nik in this situation too.

I can feel him tense beside me, the slightest hint at the past and he tends to shut down. However, he surprises me when he offers Becca a kind smile and says, "I'm doing really well Becca. I'm not that person anymore, you don't have to worry about me."

Becca sighs and rolls her eyes at us. "Whatever, you two are going to do what you want, anyway. Just don't be disgustingly cute and mushy in front of me, okay?"

"Oh, I can't help but to be disgustingly cute, sorry." Nik shrugs and the three of us burst into laughter. 

A sense of deja vu washes over me as Jennie pulls her car to a stop outside of Nik's house. My stomach fills with butterflies as nervous energy races through my body. With a glance into the back seat, I meet Becca's eyes and she flashes me a perfectly white smile. I reassure myself that she will be on her best behaviour.

"We aren't going to sit out here all night, are we?" Becca questions sweetly.

The three of us exit the car and make our way through the gated driveway, like always it is thrown wide open. While Becca takes in the beauty and grandeur of Nik's home, I watch her and try to analyze what she is thinking. Back home, we don't have friends who live in giant houses, with in ground pools and luxury RVs. Being around people who live a higher lifestyle than us might cause her to have her back up and that is the last thing I want.

"It's nice, right?" Jennie comments, as Becca trails her hand along the brick wall of the house. We come around to the backyard and the twinkle lights that span the yard are alight, reflecting onto the smooth surface of the pool. Laughter echoes into the cool evening air and my heart thumps nervously as the patio comes into view.

Jessica and Cal are lounging cozily on the large patio chair while Chase, Nik and Hayden are laughing together on the larger couch. I am surprised to see Hayden, so much that I almost stumble at the sight of him. Nik hasn't told me anything about the two of them clearing the air. I'm glad to see him though, it gives me hope that whatever it is Hayden has been trying to tell me, isn't really that bad. Unfortunately, when Hayden's eyes meet mine, his smile falls and a scowl overcomes his face.

Great.

All eyes turn to us, and Jennie bellows a greeting before skipping over to join the guys on the couch. Becca loops her arm with mine, tying the two of us together and offers her best smile as we come to a stop in front of the group. I watch her, as they watch us. It's awkward and I hate it, but then I realize I should probably introduce her to them.

"So, this is Becca, she's my best friend..." I trail off awkwardly and Becca rolls her eyes.

"Jeeze, your terrible at this." She pulls her arm from mine and sits down on the unoccupied love seat. Gesturing at the cards spread out on the table before us she asks, "What are we playing?"

"Blackjack." Jessica answers and offers Becca her hand. "I'm Jessica, this is Cal."

They shake hands, and Cal nods his head in greeting. I continue with the introductions and carefully seat myself next to Becca. "Cool, so are you dealing us in or what?" Becca asks as she pulls off her cardigan and tosses it on the back of the loveseat, already making herself comfortable.

"Let's start over." Chase tosses his cards onto the table face up. "I was losing anyway." We all laugh and the tension seems to break.

Nik joins Becca and I on the couch, he places his hand on my thigh and whispers into my ear, "Relax." I lean into him, grateful for his presence, and for a moment I think this might actually be an okay night. Then, I look up and see Hayden glaring at me again.

I look away awkwardly because I don't know what else to do. If I draw attention to it, Nik might get upset and punch him in the face again. But if I don't address it, curiosity will eat me alive.