Page 58 of The King Contract
I stand and clap him on the shoulder. “I love you, mate, but sometimes, you don’t think before you open your mouth.”
“What else is new?” He turns to me with an earnest look on his face. “Tell me one bit of what I said that wasn’t true.”
Another fair point from the big talker of the group. He touched on sensitive topics for each of us and hit the nail on the head each time. Dan’s been hung up on his ex-girlfriend for well over a year. He refuses to talk about how Sarah up and left, shattering his heart into a million pieces. I can’t remember the last time I saw Dan hook up with anyone.
Callum knows he’s stringing Steph along and won’t admit there’s anything else there. He insists she feels the same way, that staying casual is what they both want, but I’ve seen the way she looks at him. Like he walks on water, surfboard or no.
And then there’s the shit Millie and I are trying to pull. Wedolook too good to be real, because it’snotreal. If I didn’t know better?—
I clock Mack watching me and see the glint in his eye. “What?”
“Iknow, King.” He raises his eyebrows. “Don’t try to deny it.”
I gulp. “You know what?”
“I said don’t try to deny it,” he hisses. “I know you and Millie are faking it. Your little stunt at the surf club may have convinced everyone else, but I saw through that shit from the barbecue. You went with my idea, didn’t you?”
I almost fight him on it, but I’m sick of not talking about it. Dan refuses to engage in any conversation because he’s against the idea and Callum seems oblivious.
“Okay, yes.” I slap the back of his head.
Mack smacks me back on the arm. “What was that for?”
“I don’t know. It’s a really frustrating situation to be in.” I run a hand through my sweaty hair, tempted to pull at the roots to cause a bit of pain as a distraction.
Mack’s mouth drops. “Oh, wait. You’re not gettingany?I thought you’d figured out a Callum and Steph situation.”
“No. It’s strictly platonic. Kind of.”
Mack shakes his head. “Oh, my little darling. What have you done?”
“I don’t know,” I sigh. “But I need to figure it out before we go camping next weekend.”
Mack puts his arm around my shoulders as we head towards the exit. “Fear not, my naïve prince. I shall have your back and help you solve any problems that may arise.”
“Do me a favour, Mack? Don’t ever help me again.”
23
MILLIE
Communicate like an adult
The campsiteat Pebble Cove is more secluded than I thought it’d be. During the warmer months, families are usually out in droves to spend quality time together and ‘secret spots’ never stay secret for long thanks to social media. But Noah was right. This place seems like their very own paradise.
A couple of tents are situated in a stunning valley, sprawling with wild green grass and large trees around the edges. Those who’ve arrived have also set up a makeshift bathroom area, concealed by a shower curtain, and camping chairs are sitting in a large circle, with a couple of people already seated.
“How has no one else found this spot?” I ask, staring in awe at the beautiful landscape.
Noah rounds to the back of the truck and lowers the tray. “I told you, it’s a secret.”
“It’s on someone’s land who lets us use it,” Callum chimes in as he jumps out of the cab.
Noah cuts Callum an incredulous look before pointing in the distance. “The creek is over that hill and it’s a five-minute walkto the beach in the opposite direction. It’s paradise. You’re going to love it.”
He looks effortlessly handsome today, wearing a white t-shirt and plain black surf shorts. His brown locks fall into his eyes and freckles have appeared on his nose from excessive sun exposure. I tear my gaze from his smile and take a few steps away, keeping up my concerted effort to avoid any physical touch or continuous eye contact with him.
We haven’t stuck to the stipulations of the contract in terms of hanging out or posting anything online for almost a week. When Noah picked me up an hour ago, it was the first time we’d seen each other since we kissed at the surf club, and it was awkward. I’m grateful Callum was in the car, so we didn’t have to ride in silence, or worse, discuss how I mauled his face.
