He Wanted an Open Relationship, So I Accepted Another Proposal Chapter 03

He Wanted an Open Relationship, So I Accepted Another Proposal Chapter 03

The childhood friend group chat blew up all night.

Someone posted a photo from the canyon road.

Grant’s black sports car was parked at the overlook.

He leaned against the door with a stunning girl in his arms, smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world.

The headlights carved sharp shadows across his profile.

Everyone in the chat exploded.

[Holy crap. Grant took a girl on a canyon run? He never even took Harper.]

[Did he and Harper fight?]

[Right? Weren’t they fine at the party last time?]

I stared at the screen and was about to leave the chat.

Then Grant sent a message.

[Don’t make it weird. Harper’s basically family.]

Right after that, a new invite notification appeared.

Maddie’s profile picture popped into the member list.

[Say hi to my girl.]

That was all Grant said.

Just a few words, yet they cut deeper than any dull knife ever could.

By the time I came back to myself, the chat was flooded with praise for Maddie.

Expressionless, I typed one message: [Good for you. You two look perfect together.]

Then I shoved my phone under my pillow.

Even after deciding to draw the line, my heart still ached.

It felt like someone had brushed against an old scar.

It didn’t bleed anymore, but the soreness was still there.

Maddie came back very late.

She held a huge bouquet in her arms.

Her lips were swollen, her cheeks flushed, and her shirt collar was a mess.

There were faint red marks near her collarbone.

She covered her face shyly and spun around the dorm. “Grant confessed his feelings to me… and I said yes.”

The roommates immediately crowded around her.

“Oh my God. That’s Grant. He’s Ashford’s campus heartthrob. Girls would line up around campus for him.”

“He’s never gone public with a girlfriend, has he? He must really love you.”

“He said I’m his first love…”

Maddie’s voice was soft and sweet, but her pride was impossible to hide.

Another small piece of my heart caved in.

Then Maddie suddenly turned to me.

Her tone became careful, almost testing.

“Harper, so you’re not actually his family friend? I only saw what people said in the chat after I said yes. They said you liked him.”

She bit her lip and hesitated. “Harper, I’m sorry. If this bothers you, I can…”

“No,” I cut her off and smiled like it was nothing. “They’re just kidding.”

Maddie looked at me like she clearly didn’t buy it.

I paused. “I like someone else.”

“Who? Who is it?”

The roommates instantly lost it.

“I knew you weren’t actually single. Come on. Who is he?”

Just then, a campus forum notification lit up on a phone nearby.

The annual campus crush poll had just been posted.

The top spot was no surprise: the guy in the photo wore a black hoodie and leaned against a hallway wall.

One hand was tucked into his pocket.

His brows were proud, and his expression was untouchable.

His jawline looked sharp enough to cut glass.

The comments were full of screaming.

[Adrian Prescott could ruin me.]

[I could stare at that face all year.]

If Grant was my childhood friend, Adrian Prescott was my lifelong rival.

It started when we fought over a playground slide in preschool.

Then we competed for class president in elementary school.

In middle school, we fought for the top spot.

In high school, we ran against each other for student council president.

We had been competing for more than ten years.

Every time we met, sparks flew, and neither of us ever backed down.

For the past two years, I had been too busy dating Grant to bother with Adrian.

That was the only reason things had quieted down.

“Him.” I pointed at the screen. “I’ve had a crush on Adrian forever.”