Free Did I Mention I Need You? (The DIMILY Trilogy Book 2) by Estelle Maskame

I can still hear New York City. It doesn’t even feel like we’re part of it anymore. The atmosphere is so tense that it feels as though we’re the only two people around for miles, like we’re on this rooftop in the middle of nowhere. My eyes are set on him and nothing else. “Because if you’re not going to be with me,” he says, “then I’m happy that you’re at least with him. He’s good for you.”
    The numbness stops, so quickly that I can almost feel my chest collapsing all at once. It feels heavy, like my ribcage might just shatter, and it only takes me a second to realize that it’s all because I feel so guilty, so awful, and so, so confused. In that exact moment, my thoughts on everything seem distorted. Being with Dean seems wrong. Being with Tyler even more so.
    “Look, Eden, we shouldn’t be having this conversation,” Tyler says after a while. He must realize that I’m not going to reply. My voice has disappeared. “Why does any of this matter? You’ve got Dean.”
    I grit my teeth, grinding them together as I try to relax the tightness in my stomach. I shouldn’t be in this situation. It’s unfair, and it’s all because our parents had to randomly be in the same parking lot one day. Dad pulled into the spot Ella was about to maneuver into. She got out the car and argued. He bought her coffee to apologize. And so I blame that sought-after parking spot for causing all of this. Why did our parents have to meet? Why did I have to end up with a stepbrother like Tyler and, more importantly, why the hell did I have to end up falling for him? Sometimes, like right now, I hate the way the world works.
    “It matters because I’m nowhere near over you yet, Tyler. That’s why this matters, because I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”
    “Don’t fucking say that,” he mutters, his voice coarse. Coarse, yet somehow attractive. Familiar, in a way.
    “Why can’t I? Why do you get to tell me you’re not over me but I can’t say the same back?”
    “Because I’m not the one who’s dating someone else,” he snaps. His eyes narrow and his features harden. He takes a step toward me. Now we’re only two feet apart. “I’m not the one who gave up two years ago. You were. And now you’re suggesting that you’re having second thoughts? Sure, it feels pretty damn amazing, but at the same time, you’re getting my hopes up for fucking nothing. You said it yourself. None of this is ever going to work. Especially now. We had our chance and you threw it away. Now you have Dean, which pretty much translates to game over for me.” By the time he finishes talking, his voice has lost its sharp edge. He just frowns and glances sideways, fixing his eyes on a spot near the fire door.
    “I’m sorry ,” I try, exasperated. “I was only sixteen. I had no idea what I was doing. Can you blame me, Tyler? Can you seriously blame me for being scared? Back then it seemed like we were never going to be able to make it work. It was impossible, okay? I wasn’t going to waste my life sitting around in love with someone I couldn’t be with. And then Dean was in the picture, and I liked him, and you were a lost cause, so why shouldn’t I have started dating him? I love him.” I stop to catch my breath, trying my hardest to gauge Tyler’s reaction, but he’s still staring at nothing in particular. His expression is hard, yet neutral. I move toward him. Only a foot between us. “We’re not kids anymore, and I’m starting to realize that maybe now we could make it work, but it feels like it’s too late. I’m stuck in the middle between you and Dean and I have absolutely no idea in hell which side I’m supposed to choose.”
    Silence ensues. It feels like it takes forever for Tyler to finally shift his eyes back to mine. His eyes are still narrowed, but the longer we look at each other the more he softens his gaze. He takes that final step closer to me and my breathing stops completely. His body is only