Eli is still fuming, clutching at his ear as he glares at Gary. Cynthia and Frank arrive, stepping between the two before things can escalate again. The air between them crackles with unspoken threats, but Gary's firm grip on Aubrey's shoulder and Cynthia's calm presence create a barrier.
I let out a shaky breath, my own pulse still hammering in my ears.
That scene has earned me some time. Aubrey is in good hands now, surrounded by enough people to keep Eli at bay.
I turn away, the sounds of their confrontation fading as I begin the ten-minute walk to the beach. The path winds through trees that sway in the growing wind, their branches like skeletal fingers against the darkening sky. With each step, the campsite noise recedes, replaced by the steady rhythm of the waves ahead.
Chapter 30
I Have Not Yet Become Your Friend
Andrew
WhenIreachthesand, he's exactly where I know he'll be... standing in the dark, staring out at the water. His silhouette is stark against the moonlit surf, shoulders tense as if carrying the weight of the ocean itself. The wind howls around us, loud enough that he doesn't hear me approach until I'm practically behind him.
"Hey!" I call, raising my voice over the gusts. He turns, wide-eyed, and I realize I might have startled him. "It's awful windy out here. What are you doing?" I grin, more at his spaced-out expression than anything else.
He stares at me long enough to make me feel awkward before finally responding, just as I open my mouth to repeat myself.
"I'm thinking."
I laugh. "Okay. About what?"
His face shifts, and I realize too late that I might've just asked the wrong question. He fiddles with his jacket zipper, hesitating, before finally offering a smile.
"I was thinking about The Twelve Caesars.Tiberius and his prisoners. You know the reference, right?"
"The Twelve Caesars, by Suetonius."
Vince laughs. "Yeah, that one."
A fifty-fifty shot of guessing one of his obscure references correctly, and I nail it. Honestly, I'm pretty proud of myself.
"What about it?" I ask.
"Do you remember what Tiberius said about the prisoner who begged him for a quick death?"
"Yeah," I say, immediately regretting my eagerness. "'I have not yet become your friend.'Hemeant quick deathswere reservedforthepeople he liked, which was almost no one. Though,I think his point was that he didn't like anyone. But... it's been a while since I read it." I stop myself, realizingmy nerves have merambling."Vince. Where the hell are you going with this?"
He smiles faintly. "I don't fucking know, Andy. You just asked me what I was thinking."
I snort. "You always call me morbid, but you're just as bad with your weird obsessions, you know."
"Maybe you're just rubbing off on me," he teases.
"Oh yeah?" I ask, expecting the inevitable innuendo. But it doesn't come. He just looks at me, smiling softly, no smirk, no mischievous gleam in his eyes.
My face burns, and I turn to stare out at the waves, hoping the wind can cool me down.
Vince and I rarely share awkward silences, yet here we stand in one without an argument to have spurred it, and it's driving me insane.
This is the moment. I just have to push through the awkwardness and set up thesurprisedinner with Sam, before we have his serious talk. It might be the only thing that can save this friendship.
Taking a deep breath, I go for it, keeping my eyes on the water.
"Hey. I was wondering if you wanted to go for dinner next weekend."
He doesn't respond immediately, and my heart starts racing.
