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Drew releases me and I let my legs fall to stand on my own. “Maybe,” he says. “Or, you know...”
Seth smirks with devious eyes. “Boat?”
Drew nods. “Boat.”
“Impromptu beach party?”
“Impromptu beach party.”
“Uh, guys...” I gesture around. “It’s raining.”
They pause.
“Impromptu beach house party?” Seth says.
“Impromptu beach house party!” Drew smiles at me. “You in?”
I laugh as I roll my eyes. “Sure,” I say. “I’ll call Jenna.”
Seth frowns. “Do you have to?”
“Yes. Call everyone.” Drew scoops me up again and I chuckle, my toes hovering over the dock. “My girl is getting the birthday party she deserves.”
He pulls me in for another kiss.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Seth says, annoyed. “I’m still here.”
I hold up my hand to block his view and Drew kisses me.
CHAPTER 52
DREW
It never stopped raining, but she never stopped smiling, either.
Even now, hours later, as the sun rises over Chicago, as my windshield wipers wave back and forth, Heidi Newbury’s smile remains. We’re all exhausted and hungover, dreading the very idea of our Monday morning classes starting in just a few hours, but whatever. It was all worth it to give her the party she should have gotten in the first place.
And what a party it was.
I turn onto Shanty Row, doing my best not to jerk the car around too much and wake Jenna sprawled all over the backseat. Heidi sits beside me in the passenger’s seat, her hand gently curled around mine in the space between us. She looks at me, her smile as bright as those golden eyes. I raise her hand to my lips to kiss her knuckles. Such a small act is all it takes for me to yearn for more of her.
I park the car in the driveway. Heidi and I open our doors and step outside into the rain still pouring down. Jenna reacts to the sound and groggily hoists herself out of the car. She shuffles across the grass, limping slightly on her left foot, while Heidi and I slowly walk together hand-in-hand.
“Remember, guys...” Jenna says as we follow her inside, “what happened at the birthday party...”
“Stays at the birthday party,” we repeat.
“Good.” She takes a few steps back, her eyes laser-focused on our faces, before spinning around and limping to her bedroom.
“I’ll grab us some towels,” Heidi says as she releases my hand and makes her way down the hall to the bathroom.
I pause, overwhelmed by a sense of deja vu. Sure, things have changed — a lot has changed — but standing here soaking wet in Heidi’s living room on the night we met will always be a cherished memory. Just like before, I walk down the hall to her room. I look up and admire the drawings on her wall. Family, friends, celebrities, and now me. She’s so fucking talented. I could stand here all day looking at these.
Five Goals for a Perfect Freshman Year.
I pick up the canvas as Heidi walks in with a few dry towels. “So,” I say, “have you made any progress on your goals?”
She smiles. “A little.”
