Page 4 of Free
I had a new student who turned out to be an old friend from high school. Davis Chaplin. I always had this secret crush on him. He was voted most likely to succeed, and boy did he. He works in finance now, lives in one of the big mansions on the coast
Good for him?
Yeah. Sure. He seems to think so anyway.
Have we gotten to the weird part yet?
Patience, Marine. I can only type so fast
Patience is a new skill for me
Okay. Here’s the weird part…
The guy I used to daydream about asked me on a date and I turned him down
Why?
I’ve got my eyes on someone better
TWO
Charlie
3 years ago
“Your family’s so cool,” I say, raising my champagne glass to my lips, though my eyes betray me, flitting across the room until they meet Nick’s.
Angela turns, her knowing grin tugging at the corners of her mouth as she catches the moment. Nick is watching too. My cheeks flush with warmth, and I drop my gaze, pretending the bubbling fizz of champagne is suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
“I mean, I’m a fan of us,” she says, the grin never leaving her face. “But what makes you say that now?”
“How many other families would welcome me to all their parties? Sure, you married my brother?—”
“And you’re turning into one of my best friends.” Angela clinks her glass to mine, the sound light and cheerful.
“Definitely. And ditto. But me flying down just for your parties? Most people might call that… strange.”
Angela’s parents’ house has become so familiar over the past year that it feels like stepping into a vacation rental I’ve been to a dozen times. The enclosed outdoor living area smells like ocean spray and citrus-scented candles. A breeze rolls in from the beach, rustling the palm fronds that frame the pool, the water glinting under the soft glow of fairy lights strung along the patio.
Angela shrugs, the movement as effortless as her confidence. “We Huttons are a different breed.”
“Except you’re a Cooper now,” I tease my sister-in-law.
“And loving every minute of it.”
Nick’s eyes catch mine again over her shoulder, and it feels like the air thickens. My chest tightens, but in that fluttery, almost giddy way I can’t quite control. A slow smile spreads across my face before I drop my gaze, my heart hammering.
Angela notices—of course, she notices—and glances back, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “So,” she says, drawing out the word, “what’s going on there?”
“With Nick?” I counter, my voice a little too high as I scramble for composure.
“Yes, with Nick.” Angela laughs, shaking her head. “You’re trying to hide it. Failing miserably, by the way, but there’s definitely something between you two.”
“There’s something,” I admit, my voice soft. “I don’t really know what it is. We’re friends.”
Angela arches a brow. “Friends,” she repeats, the skepticism dripping from her tone.
I don’t know if I buy it either. Friends don’t text each other every morning without fail. They don’t send sweet, flirty messages or call late at night, voices low and full of the kind of connection that defies distance. Friends don’t make every other guy seem like a cardboard cutout by comparison. Davis has asked me out so many times since he first showed up in my yoga class. He’s sweet, successful, and charming. By all rights I shouldhave at least let him buy me a cup of coffee by now. But he just doesn’t hold a candle to Nick.
