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***
“Tess?” I hear my name, but it takes a few seconds for me to register the voice.
When I glance up from the book in front of me I’m more than a little surprised to see Anthony standing directly next to the small table I’m currently occupying in the back of my favorite little coffee shop.
“Ant?” I question, dropping my paperback down onto the table as I stand and offer him a hug. “Wow. It’s been a long time,” I say, gesturing to the seat across from me which he quickly takes.
“Yeah, it has.” He sets his coffee on the table in front of him, an awkward silence stretching between us before I quickly speak again.
“What are you doing here? Are you visiting your family for holidays?” I press.
It’s so weird seeing him. He hasn’t changed a bit. And just like that, I feel like I’m there all over again. Sebastian’s face instantly flashes in front of my eyes, and it takes everything in me to shove the image down and focus on Ant.
“Yeah, I just came down for New Years. I’m actually getting ready to head back to campus.” He takes a sip of his coffee, stretching his long legs out underneath the table.
“How’s Boston? I bet it’s amazing there.”
Anthony got accepted to Boston College shortly after Sebastian was accepted to LSU. And while he didn’t earn the full scholarship that Sebastian did, he still got lucky enough to play for their football team.
“It is. I love it.” He smiles, the action easy and carefree.
God, what I wouldn’t give to smile like that and actually mean it.
“That’s incredible.”
“I love living there,” he continues. “Everything about Boston is so alive.”
“I’d love to go there one day,” I say, lacking anything of real interest to add to the conversation.
“You still planning on heading to the Big Apple in the fall?” he asks without missing a beat.
“If I get into Columbia, yes, that’s the plan.” I sigh, trailing my fingers across the top of my cup that’s still ninety percent full of the hot chocolate I ordered nearly an hour ago.
“You will,” he states like there’s no question in his mind.
“Well, I wished I shared in your confidence but thank you.” I shift in my seat.
Anthony and I have never been close. Even throughout my relationship with Sebastian and his with Courtney, we never shared arealconversation. Sure, we hung in the same circle, ate lunch together every day, hung out after every football game, but we never connected beyond him being Sebastian’s friend and me being Courtney’s. It almost seems strange sitting here with him, just the two of us, especially given how long it’s been and everything that’s happened.
“How is she?”
Ant’s question comes straight out of left field but doesn’t surprise me one bit. It’s the exact same question that was on the tip of my tongue the second he sat down—how is he,but I fought the urge to ask.
“She’s good.” I relax back into my chair, taking a drink of mynot sohot chocolate. “She just found out she got accepted to the University of Alabama.”
“Alabama. Wow.” He thinks over that for a long moment, taking a drink of his coffee before continuing. “Well… That’s awesome. Good for her.” I can tell there’s more he wants to say, but for whatever reason, he decides against it.
“Yeah, she’s doing pretty good. She misses you,” I say, knowing Courtney would probably kill me if she knew I was telling him this. “Though I’m sure she’d never admit it.”
“I know that all too well.” He chuckles, like he’s remembering something funny.
“Have you guys spoken at all?” I ask, already knowing they haven’t.
Even after all these months, I still don’t know the specifics of why they broke up. Courtney blew it off—saying he wanted to go into college unattached which is why he pulled away from her toward the end of his senior year—and before I could turn around twice she was sleeping with someone new.
I always suspected there was more to the story, especially given how quickly she forced herself to move on, almost like she was trying to prove a point to him. I’ve pressed her a few times, but she’s never given me much more than that.
“No. I’ve text her a couple times but to be honest, life is pretty crazy right now. My course load is insane and as you know, I’ve never been one to excel in the classroom.”
