Under the Same Stars(77)

“Then what happened?” I gently prompted after he was quiet for a while.

Austin ran a hand through his hair. “I texted Kates that I loved her, but before I fell asleep, I heard footsteps and someone say my name. It was Sam, so I unzipped my tent and saw that she’d brought out a sleeping bag. She didn’t want me to be alone.”

Dad, Da, and I all leaned forward in our seats. Keep going, I thought, my heart pounding. Keep going, keep going!

He did. He said that he’d welcomed Samira into his tent because she was still super drunk and he didn’t want her to hurt herself walking back up to the cabin in the dark. And then they talked. They talked about middle school field trips, being voted “Cutest Couple” in high school, and breaking up at Johns Hopkins. They talked about their friendship…and Samira talked about how she wanted it to be more. “I didn’t get what she was saying at first,” Austin said. “She just said, ‘I love you, Austin,’ and I thought she meant it in the normal best-friend way, so I told her I loved her, too.”

“Alright, that’s not terrible,” Da said. “You can always—”

“Lee.” Dad put a hand on Da’s knee. “Let him finish.”

My insides twisted as Austin took a breath. “After I said I loved her, she asked me to run away with her. Leave Katie and be with her.”

“How did you respond?” Da asked carefully.

“I told her I loved her again,” he said, growing frazzled. “I didn’t know what else to say! She was snoring ten seconds later, so I thought things would be okay. I thought she’d forget the whole conversation.” He groaned. “But I knew I had to ask for the truth when she sobered up. Otherwise, it would eat me alive—it was already eating me alive. I didn’t sleep at all.”

He said he’d left the tent before Samira woke up to make breakfast, and he’d gotten her alone on the deck later. She’d surprisingly remembered her confession and told him she meant every word. Austin was the love of her life. She wanted him to call off the wedding—

“And what did you say?!” I blurted.

“Nothing,” he answered. “I said absolutely fucking nothing. I stood there, and when it was clear I didn’t have the guts to say anything, she avoided me the rest of the trip.” He held up his phone. “She sent me a text at the airport, saying that she’d give me time to think, but asked me not to contact her until I had an answer.” He exhaled. “That’s it. That’s all she wrote.”

Dad covered my mouth with his hand when I opened it again. “Okay, now that we have all the information,” Da said, “let’s just sit here and breathe before we unpack it…”

The devious, diabolical, downright villainous part of me thought, If there’s ever a time to talk him out of marrying Katie, this is it.

But then the rest of me wondered: Is that what I really want?

We weren’t on the best of terms now, but Austin looked heartsick, and I realized that deep down, I wanted to apologize to Katie for our bachelorette weekend blowup.

Maybe that meant something.

“First thing’s first.” Dad folded his hands together. “What does Katie know?”

“Nothing,” Austin said. “Just that my plane landed and I’m here. She’s on the train home from New York now.”

“Are you going to tell her?” I asked.

“Well, that depends on what he decides,” Da said before my brother could. “If he wants to be with Samira, then he’ll have no choice but to tell Katie.”

Austin cocked his head, suddenly looking at us like we were strangers. “I’m not choosing Sam,” he said, an edge to his voice. “What makes you think I’d ever leave Katie for her?”

“Because you and Samira are best friends,” I answered. “And for the last several months, all you and she have been saying is that best friends make for the best romance.” I quoted Samira. “You should be with the person you never stop laughing with, the person who always has your back, the person who knows you inside and out.” I held up my hands. “When I told you about my crush on Connor, you and Samira both thought it was amazing that my best friend might become my favorite person.”

I tried to ignore the ache in my rib cage, remembering Marco calling me his favorite person this summer.

Austin shook his head. “Sam isn’t my favorite person, guys.” He shrugged. “I thought she was once, but we are just best friends.” He paused. “We share this unbreakable bond, and while it was romantic at times, it wasn’t meant to stay that way forever. Timing ideal or not ideal, we would’ve been together if it were written in the stars.” He paused. “If I ever thought of Sam while Katie and I were long distance in college, it was because I missed Kates so much, not because I still had feelings for Sam.” He shook his head. “There was nothing like picking up Katie from the airport when she visited for the weekend, with her overstuffed tote bag and pink rolling suitcase. Or when I went to Hamilton—she, Meredith, and Yasmin always met me outside baggage claim. They screamed my name and waved around the most obnoxious welcome sign. No matter where we were, Maryland or New York, I felt like I was coming home.” Austin made eye contact with me. “Does that make more sense?”