Page 21

The moon is high, casting a silver glow across the night sky. A handful of us are gathered around a bonfire, unwinding for the night in the courtyard of the Estate. The sounds of the lake crash against the shore in the distance. Everyone is wrapped in a blanket, a drink in hand, feeling a relaxed tiredness from being out all day at the vineyard.

Ivy breaks the ice as she says, “What was everyone’s dream at sixteen years old?

I’ll go first!” She smiles. “Becoming a pediatrician.” Cooper kisses the back of her hand, in awe of her success. “You did it, honey.”

Cooper adds, “Probably to be a professional football player.” He looks over at Drew reluctantly, knowing they both had the same dreams at that age.

“You mean to tell me, your dream wasn’t to be Homecoming King every year?” Christian teases.

“Ha ha, funny.” Cooper says, throwing a marshmallow at his face. Everyone joins in on the laughter.

“Mine was to have six kids.” Mom chimes in, “Good thing I came to my senses.”

“Mom!” Cooper laughs, tossing a marshmallow towards her face as well.

“I wanted to be a millionaire.” Christian sighs.

“Drew?” Cooper asks.

He looks up from his gaze into the fire and briefly looks in my direction and then back to my brother. “I came close to mine.”

Everyone takes the subtle hint that it means his dream of becoming a professional football player, but I can’t help feeling a sense of unease behind his words.

“Cami?” Cooper calls on me next.

“At sixteen? Probably to be an author or a librarian.” I say quietly.

“Aw, congrats, babe. You did it.” Ivy says, reaching over to grab my hand.

Ivy stands up to make an announcement, “I have a surprise to share with you all tonight.” She points between two nearby trees, a small drop-down screen hangs between them.

“I was wondering what that was!” Christian says.

“I made a slideshow of all the moments between Cooper and me, with all of our friends and loved ones.” She smiles with a glint in her eye.

“You did, babe?” Cooper's eyes shine with adoration. “That’s so sweet.”

The projector starts rolling, the machine's hum cutting through the quiet of the night as Ivy clicks through a digital album with a remote. We all laugh and smile at the memories lighting up the screen. There’s Cooper helping Ivy unpack moving boxes the very first week she moved onto our street. A snapshot of them on her first day of senior year at our high school. Ivy kissing Cooper on the field after a massive varsity football win. Candid photos of crowded house parties they all attended, a picture of them holding up their matching UCLA acceptance letters. But the next slide catches me completely off guard. I’ve never seen this photo. It’s of a party on the beach. Everyone is gathered around a bonfire just like the one we're sitting beside tonight. I remember that evening like it was yesterday. It was the night Ivy dragged me out of my room to join them. In the photo, I'm curled up in a ball in a low lawn chair, swallowed by an oversized blanket next to the flames, fast asleep. But I'm not the main focus of the photo.

It's Drew.

Even through the flickering flames of the bonfire, you can see his gaze. He is entirely focused on me, oblivious to any of the conversations happening around him. He's looking at me with an expression that can only be explained by one thing. My lips part slightly, and the air leaves my lungs. Ivy lets the photo hang on the screen for a beat or two longer than it should before finally clicking to the next one. It’s a detail that would be easy to miss if you weren't actually looking for it, and I secretly pray that the people around this bonfire didn’t catch it.

I carefully glance up across the circle at Cooper. He isn't looking at the screen anymore. He is staring directly into Drew’s eyes, his expression unreadable.

The slideshow ends with a loud burst of applause, everyone cheering and gushing about how much they adored the walk down memory lane. Just like that, the energetic wedding buzz snaps right back into place where it belongs. Taking advantage of the sudden noise and distraction, I slip away from the warmth of the fire and disappear down toward the dark, cool lakeshore.

The sand shifts beneath my shoes as the distance between me and the bonfire widens, the crackling embers and laughing voices fading into the background. I take a deep, shaky breath of the crisp night air, desperately trying to steady the frantic beating of my heart.

The image of Drew’s face from the screen is practically burned into my memory. He had been looking at me like I was the only person in the entire world, years ago, back when I thought I was invisible to everyone. Even before everything went down between us. I knew this week was going to be difficult, but I didn't think it would hurt like this, like it was just yesterday when I got my heart broken.

Sinking into the sand, I pull my legs up to my chest, holding myself together. Silent tears start to fall as a breeze picks up, carrying my hair off my shoulders.

“Mind if I join you?” My mom’s sweet voice asks as she takes a seat next to me in the sand.

“I’m fine,” I say, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“I didn’t ask if you were fine, honey.” She whispers, petting the back of my head.