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All I want is her friendship.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
And I’m fucking sticking to it.
* * *
It’s a hot and sticky night, typical of late June, the ocean breeze just as hot as the surrounding air. Usually, it offers relief, but tonight there isn’t any.
I don’t care, though. I would sweat under the beaming hot sun in the desert for a night to spend with Chloe.
I wait outside the restaurant, already having secured our favorite corner booth. It’s quiet and secluded, making it feel like you have the place to yourself.
Her sweet perfume fills my nose before I see her walking up the sidewalk. She looks gorgeous as always, but something is different. Maybe she looks older, or more mature, or maybe it’s the pretty dress she’s wearing, one I’ve never seen before. She braided her hair, the long piece falling down her right side.
I ignore the images that pop into my head, memories of a night long ago when we had fun with her hair in a braid.
“Hi,” Lo says, and I blink away the memory now that she’s standing in front of me.
“Hey, you. Looking beautiful, as always.”
Lo’s cheeks flush, and I love the effect I still have on her. “Thank you, so do you. I mean, you look handsome as well, or good, I should say good. Great, even.” She looks away with a sheepish grin. “Wow, I’m going to shut up now.”
I laugh. “Thank you. You hungry?”
“Starving.”
I follow her inside and give my name to the hostess, who leads us right to our table.
As soon as we slide into the booth, Chloe’s eyes light up. “Ahh, our favorite booth. I missed you,” she says to the table as she squeezes it and grins. “I still remember the night I ate so much pizza. You had to carry me out of here. And then held my hair back as I threw up every piece.”
I groan at the memory. I didn’t eat pizza for a while after that. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
We order our drinks and an appetizer to share. “Thanks for coming out tonight. I thought you could use a fun night to relieve some of the stress from job hunting.”
“Yeah, it’s been a lot harder than I expected. I don’t even know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t dead end after dead end.”
“Where are you looking?” I ask.
“A few local coffee shops for now. Just hoping to work and save some money.”
“Are you still going to school for nursing?”
Lo nods her head. “Next summer, I need to work in the field, but first, I need two years of education under my belt.”
“Ah, makes sense,” I say as our drinks arrive. We chat about the past year, and Lo talks about California. “So how did you like Mason and his friends?”
“He’s a cool dude. Everyone is.”
Lo smiles over the rim of her drink, her deep blue eyes vast like the ocean. “He really is. But his sister is my favorite.”
“I’m glad you met a good group of friends. It’s nice out there.”
“Oh, you liked it, hmm, Jersey boy?” Lo teases.
I chuckle before taking a sip of my Dr. Pepper soda. It’s delicious here with a shot of vanilla flavoring. “I never once claimed to be a Jersey boy.”
“You would make a good Cali boy, too.”
