AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Claire: Have you heard that Florida is responsible for 60% of the nation’s shark attacks?
Of all the things for Claire to text me, this wasn’t what I was expecting. I’m considering how to respond when another text from her comes in.
Claire: It’s true. I looked it up before getting in the water.
My lips twitch with a smile as I text her back.
Me: Of course, you did.
I wait for those three dots to appear, but there’s nothing. After a few seconds, I send another text.
Me: How was your first night? As liberating as you thought it would be?
“Who’s that?”
My head snaps up to find Ethan casually looking at me. Em and Chad are both staring, too. We decided to come to their favorite Tex-Mex place for lunch, so now we’re sitting out on the front patio of the restaurant.
“Yeah, who is that?” Chad echoes.
“No one,” I say as I set down my phone and go back to eating.
Em and Ethan seem satisfied enough with that response, but of course, Chad can’t keep his mouth shut.
“Whoever it is, you put down your burrito for them. You don’t put down your burrito to answer a text unless it’s from somebody.”
Swallowing my bite, I mutter, “Maybe I just needed a break from my burrito.”
Chad’s eyes widen. “Bruh, no way. Burritos are what I live for.”
“Chad, you’re just jealous because he wouldn’t have put down his burrito to answer a text from you.” Em winks at me before taking another bite, ignoring the dramatic look of offense on Chad’s face. She’s dyed her hair since the last time I saw her. It used to be blonde, but now it’s a vibrant red. Like Ethan, she’s covered in more tattoos. I guess that’s to be expected with her line of work.
Chad snaps his fingers. “Ethan, control your woman.”
“She calls the shots,” Ethan says with a shrug of his shoulders.
Em playfully sticks her tongue out at Chad. I like Em. She’s always been cool. She’s one of those girls who can easily hang with the guys without making it feel like you’re no longer hanging with the guys.
Claire: It was good. How are your friends?
I stare at her text for a moment. There’s nothing wrong with it, but at the same time, there’s something I don’t like about it. It was good doesn’t tell me much, and Claire usually doesn’t have a problem sharing. So either something happened that she’s embarrassed about, it was a bad night, or it was a great night, but she doesn’t want me to know about it.
Or maybe it was just good.
Christ, she’s got me over-analyzing a fucking text message.
“What do you guys think, tiki tonight?” Em asks as she stands up from the table to throw her trash away.
“I’m down,” Ethan says.
Chad claps his hands together. “Hell yeah!”
They all look at me, so I nod and say, “Sounds good,” before texting Claire.
Me: They’re good. Want to meet us at the tiki bar tonight?
Why did I just do that?
I’m practically on the edge of my seat as I wait for her to answer.
