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Okay.
I might not be into her, but Riley sure is fun. I give her that.
“Next,” Matt says after ensuring Riley is safe and sound on the other side.
I approach the launching spot and listen attentively as he goes over the rules again while fastening the belts in my gear.
And just as he tells me to go, I fling myself in the air, letting myself fly like the wind, and follow Riley’s ridiculous lead, laughing all the way.
“WATERMELOOOON!”
I laugh at the absurdity, feeling lighter than I have in ages.
When my feet finally touch the ground, I’m both exhilarated and sad that it’s over.
“You did it!” Riley cheers, jumping on me so fast and taking me so completely off guard that it’s only by instinct that I catch her. “I can’t believe you screamed watermelon!” She laughs.
“Well, you screamed pineapple. Thought it was fitting.” I laugh, placing her feet back down on the ground.
“It managed to put a smile on your face, didn’t it?”
“Hmm.” I smile because it did.
“Want to go again?” She giggles.
“You better believe I do.”
And this time, when she stretches out her hand for me to take, I don’t flinch away and let her entwine her fingers with mine.
They may not be Lottie’s, but then again, they aren’t supposed to be.
She made that very clear.
Chapter 29
Charlotte
“I’ve sent you the numbers for this quarter, and so far, it’s looking like we’ll end the year with a bang!” Becca proclaims excitedly.
“That’s good.” I smile weakly, drinking my chamomile tea while staring at the window.
“Are you okay, Lottie? Are you sick?” she asks, concerned.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure you’re not ill? You’ve been kind of… off lately.”
“Have I? I haven’t noticed,” I reply absentmindedly.
“Is it Cooper? Is he why you’ve been so down lately? Did you two have a fight or something?”
I turn to her and nod, even though Coop has been the last person on my mind.
“Actually, we’re on a break. There are some things I need to think about, and we thought it would be best to keep our distance for a while until we were sure of how to proceed from here.”
“Oh… I’m so sorry.” She frowns, saddened on my behalf. “Is there anything I can do?”
Yes.
