Nathan nodded before backing out of his parking spot and pulling onto the main road. The radio was off and the continued quiet made my skin crawl. Why the hell did everything have to be so weird between us? It was possible it was all in my head, given that Nathan acted as if everything was fine.
By the time the car turned onto the road, which would take us all the way down to the jetty, I couldn’t do the silence anymore. “So... how have things been back in Seattle?”
Nathan let out an airy chuckle before he shook his head. “It’s been okay, I guess. Not having the best of luck finding a job. That’s why I’m out here. If you ask me, college is a big-ass joke. Aiden is going to be starting in the fall and he won’t listen to me that maybe he should go to a trade school instead.”
I just nodded along dumbly, like I had any clue what he was talking about. At least I remembered his brother. When we were younger, they were inseparable. I wondered if they were still close. Nathan was protective. No one messed with Aiden without going through him first.
“Can’t say I can relate.”
He sighed before glancing at me and then back at the road. “I can’t believe you stayed out here. You had no other dreams?”
I shrugged before looking out the window and watching the houses along the beach pass us by. Suddenly, I wasn’t as eager to fill the silence anymore. The point wasn’t to get close to him again. I simply needed to tolerate him for the summer. That was it.
The drive to the house should’ve been quick, but it felt like time was dragging on.
“I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t owe me anything.”
I nodded, still saying nothing until we pulled up to the house. The street was lined with cars as people in all sorts of party attire made their way to the entrance. Nathan killed the engine and, just like back at the store, neither of us made a move. My fingers itched to grab the door handle the longer we sat in silence.
“Why did you really invite me to this, Chase?”
I chewed at my lip, watching a couple walk past us, laughing with their arms linked together. They were so carefree and happy, and I wished things were that simple for me all the time.
“Because we might as well not hate each other all summer?” My reasoning was flimsy at best, and the way his eyebrows raised into his hairline showed he wasn’t buying it.
“I never hated you...”
I couldn’t listen to it. The handle gave under my hand as I pushed the door open and climbed out of the car. The cool ocean breeze blasted my face, and I had to grab my hat from blowing from my head. The smell of the salt spray was always comforting, and I leaned against the side of the car until I heard Nathan get out as well. Was I being a coward? Maybe a little.
I opened the backseat, grabbed the two six-packs, and made my way to the front door of the house, Nathan on my heels the entire way.
Chapter 7
Nathan
The music filtered through the room as we entered the house. It still didn’t feel real to be here with him. Chase had a six-pack in each hand as he weaved between party-goers and if I wasn’t careful, I would lose him in the crowd. Four years later, I didn’t know any of these people anymore, but he sure did. Several people stopped him on our journey to the kitchen, giving him bro hugs and pats on the back. Shit, it wasn’t like I had a right to him anymore. It was weird that he’d even invited me to this.
“Don’t look like such a deer in the headlights.” Chase set one pack of beer on the counter before turning all that attention on me. His steel-gray eyes sucked me in all over again. I wanted to push that stupid hat off his head and wreck his hair, forget this crowd of people…
“Earth to Nathan?”
“Um, right? This is a normal thing now?”
Chase looked around the packed house before nodding at me. “House parties? Seems that way. Normally it’s the out-of-towners. They come and rent one of the places closer to the beach. Sometimes, it’s the locals. As long as I don’t have to clean up themess...” He shrugged before grabbing a drink, popping the cap, and bringing the bottle to his lips. Watching him drink had me turning away. It was gross that I was still so drawn to him.
“Do you ever have to clean up the mess?”
Chase laughed as he set the bottle back on the counter. “Look around. What house are we in? We’ll be in this shit in a day or two.”
I’d been away for too long because I didn’t recognize this house, but Chase implied that this was one of Uncle Drew’s properties. “And you just let them tear it up?”
He sighed as he took another drink before handing me a bottle. “You have a lot to learn. It sucks, but it’s guaranteed money.”
The crowded party pulled my attention away from the man standing across from me and what he was saying. I took another sip of the cold beer, the condensation dripping down my hand. We’d been to a few parties during the summers back in high school, but they were never as wild as this. I now appreciated anyone who had to clean up after that crap.
I looked around the room again, rolling the bottle in my hands. Throngs of people gathered together. Some were dancing, while others stood around drinking like we were. Without thinking too much more about it, I took another long swig. The hoppy beer flowed over my tastebuds and down my throat as I turned my attention back to Chase. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he watched me.
“Now, are we going to stand around and bitch about clean-up duty, or are we going to have fun?”
