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“So, how are we doing?
“Well, I am feeling better by the minute in here. Still a little miserable, but only a little bit. I’m thinking I’ll be at slightly bummed with the first third of my beer.”
“Glad to hear you’re improving. Anything else I can get for you?”
I consider that, then smirk at him and playfully say, “Maybe a cute boy to kiss. Your brother around?”
He splashes some water at me, and I laugh, but then I find myself thinking about Aaron. Again.
Joel notices but doesn’t say anything. He’s looking down at the water. I know what he’s thinking.
“Say it, Joel,” I tell him.
“You really do love him, don’t you?”
“Sure seems that way. It feels like it came out of nowhere.”
He chuckles. “He said he was going to marry you while you hid under a slide when you were nine years old. That’s not nowhere.”
“I mean the big love feelings. It’s getting hard to be around him now. Harder seeing him with another girl.”
“It doesn’t mean anything.”
“I hope you’re right about that.”
He looks down again, so I poke him with my toes. “Hey, are you gonna tell me what’s bugging you?”
“I… might have feelings for Sarah.”
Nodding, I say, “I kinda figured. When did that happen?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. We’ve spent more time together since she broke up with Trevor and I—feel things now.” He runs a hand over his face. “I’m a fucking sap.”
“Always, Joelskies. That’s why we love you.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m a little bummed, too. Sometimes it’s scary, moving forward in life. It makes me nervous that we won’t be as close. I mean, even tonight, everyone split off doing their own things. I was hoping our last homecoming would be some killer night together. And now it’s you and me alone in the hot tub.”
“Wow, keep talking like that and you’re going to raise my miserable meter back up,” I tease. “It’s still early. And honestly, I think it’s nice just being the two of us. We’re the OG friends, Joel. We’re part of why this group exists. I like spending time with only you sometimes, you know.”
I grab his hand and give it a squeeze.
Our eyes meet.
And I don’t know if it’s the beer.
Or the hot tub.
Or our teen hormones.
Or maybe it’s that we’re both feeling kinda shitty. But there’s this weird little spark we both notice.
We stare at each other.
Then I quickly pull my hand off his.
We both almost gag.
Then we start laughing.
