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Sure, I had class this afternoon, and I did need to recharge afterward, but that’s not really why I showed up so late. My eyes dart to the real reason, who’s standing by the fire, and my throat tightens when I catch Finn staring at me. He’s not shy about it, either.
Is it too late for the headache act?
“Where’s your boyfriend?” Lacey glances around the beach, and I turn my back to Finn, hoping to spare myself any more unintentional eye contact.
“Yeah, where’s Chance?” Aveena brings a red cup filled with water to her lips, and realization finds me.
“I don’t know. He should be here.” I check my phone for a text from him. His roommates are throwing the party. I assumed he’d be here by now.
Aveena shrugs. “Maybe something came up.”
“So, what are you drinking?” Lacey asks, assessing me like she thinks I’m hiding tequila somewhere on my body.
“Air,” I laugh.
“You didn’t bring anything?”
“I forgot.”
Another lie. I didn’t want to be anywhere near Finn with reduced inhibitions. I’m scared I’d end up taking Aveena’s joke literally andpushing Mr. I-Let-You-Drown into the bonfire.
Lacey takes it upon herself to intervene, telling me, “I got you,” before making her way to the cooler a few feet from the fire. She’s back with a can of watermelon-flavored hard seltzer seconds later. I take it with a thanks.
“Did you tell him?” I question Aveena, knowing damn well the answer is no. There’s no way Xavier would be bickering with the guys right now if he knew he was going to be a dad.
She cringes. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. It’s just… He was talking about how he couldn’t wait to get some free time next week, and here I am, about to tell him that he’s never going to have any free time ever again. Well, at least, until our son or daughter turns eighteen.”
A laugh shoots out of me. “Yeah, but that’s a good thing.”
She sighs. “He has a lot on his plate right now. I just don’t want to add to that.”
“Vee, he loves you. He would happily clear his plate for you,” Lacey encourages.
Aveena chews down on her lip, and my heart aches at the tears building up in her eyes. She’s both happy and anxious, and it’s understandable. We’re just kids. We’re still in school, and we’re not even close to having a stable life, but if Xavier and Aveena, AKA the best couple I’ve ever met, can’t make it work? No one can.
“Come here.” I open my arms, and Aveena walks into my embrace in a heartbeat. “We’ll be right here with you. Whatever happens.”
She nods and blinks back tears. We’ve barely pulled away when a deep voice sounds behind me.
“Do I get a hug, too?”
I spin to see Chance staring at me with a dimpled smile. He has his hands tucked into his pockets, sporting a white shirt with a few undone buttons, his rolled-up sleeves drawing attention to his veined forearms.
Chance is gorgeous. Not okay, not cute, gorgeous. He’s tall, has bright blue eyes, and that boyish smile that could make any girl giddy. He’s that guy who looks like he should be an asshole but turns out to be a total sweetheart. He’s close with his mom, studying to be an accountant, an animal lover like me—just an overall great guy.
I fold my arms over my chest, fighting my grin. “Late people don’t get hugs.”
Chance arches an eyebrow. “What if I apologize?”
I stop to think. “Depends. How good is the apology?”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
Next thing I know, he’s circled my wrist with his hand and jerked me to his chest. My breath leaves me when his hands fly up to cup my face. His lips find mine the next second. I can’t help feeling uncomfortable as his left hand drops to my lower back. Might be all in my head, but I feel watched.
