The Reckless Collision

Chapter Fifty-Three

"How could telling me about James's addiction make things worse?" I asked, crossing my arms.

He sighed again, gesturing for me to sit next to him. "I swear, it's like he loves you more than me at this point," he mumbled.

I blinked at him. "Who?"

"Andrew," he muttered, patting the seat beside him. "Please, just sit."

I sat down reluctantly, eyeing him. "Are you... jealous?"

"Yes and no," he admitted with a faint smile. "He's supposed to keep all my secrets.

"He does," I said. "He just explained about James to me."

"Well, that's not even my secret to tell." He rubbed his chin. "Are you feeling better?"

I took a deep breath, trying to push the chaos in my head aside. "Yeah, I guess. Ray—"

"I'll tell you everything," he interrupted, his voice softening. "It's just... embarrassing, I guess."

I raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"How dumb I was—or maybe still am."

"I wouldn't ask if it weren't for tonight," I said, meeting his eyes. "Courtney said some things, and—"

"What things?" His eyes darkened with concern.

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. But if you don't tell me what's going on, she'll keep saying whatever she wants, and I'll have to wonder if it's true."

Ray exhaled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "You can't believe anything she says, love. Just so you know, I haven't even talked to her. I've been looking for you all night."

"So where do we start?" I asked softly.

"Rory," he said with a small grimace. "Logan brought him as a plus-one. I found out right before the party started. Apparently, they've been hanging out. I guess they're either friends or... more."

"That makes sense," I said, nodding slowly as I stared at the faint glow of the porch lights. "They have a lot in common now."

I glanced back at Ray. His face was tired, his shoulders tense, but his eyes held a flicker of warmth—the same warmth that made me believe, somehow, we could weather this storm.

"I hadn't thought about it that way," he admitted, voice quieter now. "Still... he knows how you feel about Rory, and he brought him here anyway."

Ray shifted beside me, the swing creaking under his weight. "It's fine," I added, trying to sound calm. "Honestly, I didn't even notice Rory at first." He nodded at my words, but I could see the tension in his jaw. "Rory lost his best friend too, Ray," I continued, hoping to ease some of his guilt. "And Logan... it must be hard for him too. I guess it's good they found each other."

Ray exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "And I had no idea Courtney would show up. Logan mentioned James was bringing Chloe, but I didn't think they'd bring Courtney too."

"So they're friends?" I asked, watching his reaction carefully.

"Sort of," he said, his voice guarded. "We met Chloe first. She started dating James, and later she introduced us to Courtney."

"And?" I pressed, sensing there was more he wasn't saying.

He hesitated, his gaze falling to the ground. "We started dating not long after that," he said finally, his voice heavy with reluctance. "It was during a break between tours, so we spent a lot of time together. But then I went back on the road, and she stayed here in L.A."