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night, that Liam saw you as a challenge. Remember when he first asked you out? You were shocked.”
    “Yeah, because I didn’t like him. I liked-”
    Ava mock-glared at me. “I know, Jules. My point is that you kind of blew him off. He asked you to a party, and you wouldn’t say yes. That drove him crazy, and it’s why he kept asking you out. And even after you started dating him, you weren’t like the other girls who act like he’s a god.”
    I nodded. “Okay, I see that. But I spent the last month and a half ignoring him just like before, and I really don’t think it caused him any angst.”
    “Right. So I was thinking about this, and I happened to run into Giff. He still feels terrible about the whole thing. We were in an RA meeting together, and then we grabbed some coffee.”
    “I miss Giff.” I sniffled a little. Liam’s roommate had definitely been a perk of our relationship. He talked reality shows, cute shoes and cuter guys with me when Ava wasn’t around.
    “He misses you, too. And...” She paused, either for dramatic effect or because she wasn’t sure she should say the next words. “He thinks Liam misses you, too.”
    I took a moment to let that settle into my mind. “Hmmm.”
    “How do you feel about that?” Ava fell into her therapist posture sometimes without even knowing it.
    “Not positive. But I’m pretty sure I don’t care. A few weeks ago, it might have mattered. I don’t want to go back, though. And maybe Giff just sees what he wants to see.”
    “Giff does like you, that’s true. Which is why he probably he made the offer.”
    I dropped the crust onto my plate and folded the whole thing in half before I stood up and chucked it into the trash. “The offer?”
    “Yep. He offered to help you get Liam back.”
    I stood still for a moment. “Really? And what did you tell him?”
    A small smile curved on the side of Ava’s mouth. “I told him yes. I invited him over tonight for snacks and a planning session.”
    Blinking slowly, I sank back to the floor. “Ava, what exactly are we planning tonight?”
    “According to Giff, we’re getting you and Liam back together. But my plan is bigger. Go along with Giff. We’ll work it out so Liam wants you again, and then...” She spread her hands out. “What comes next is up to you. But if Liam’s at the point where all he wants is you, the power is in your hands.”
    I dropped my head back, resting on my mattress as I looked at the ceiling. “I don’t know, Ave. I don’t know if I can deal with it. I mean, first, the idea of putting myself out there for Liam to hurt again—I don’t think I could handle it.”
    “You won’t have to. Remember, challenge. Keeping you just out of Liam’s grasp is the point.”
    “She’s not wrong.” Giff stood in the doorway, snowflakes on the shoulder of his navy blue pea coat and red plaid scarf. His blond hair was damp, but his smile never dimmed.
    “Giff!” I jumped to my feet and hugged him. “It’s so good to see you.”
    “I’ve missed you.” He squeezed me briefly, and I breathed in his expensive cologne. Walking through a department store cosmetics department always made me think of Gifford. He smelled pricey.
    Ava took his coat and hung it from a hook in our bathroom, so it could drip into the shower rather than on the tile in our bedroom.
    “What have we got here?” He pulled off his boots and dropped to the floor, surveying the reminder of our picnic. “Have you broken out the good stuff yet?”
    “How about some wine?” Ava dug out another plastic cup. “There’s a bottle of sauvignon chilled in the fridge and some shiraz here.” She lifted the bottle. “Or if you’re feeling a little sassy, we have rummy gummy bears, too.”
    Giff laughed. “I should be all sophisticated and adult and choose wine, but the bears intrigue me. Bring ‘em on.”
    Ava took out the glass bowl that contained our colorful treat—gummy bears swimming in rum--and spooned a generous