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I crack open the can without looking at the label. Sweet liquid hits my tongue, followed by the sharp, lingering burn of alcohol. I feel it hit my stomach and start swimming through my veins, a reminder that I never ate dinner. Katherine dashed home between the ceremony and the reception to greet me, but no food was involved. She was already upset about missing my arrival, so I didn’t want to bring it up.
I sit there, staring out at the water, taking the occasional sip, and trying to bleach Annabel’s words from my mind. I’m not sure how long I’ve been sitting here when I hear the sound of steps on the dock. As they near, I half-turn to see who it is, looking back at the lake when I spot the familiar sneakers.
“Figured I’d find you down here.”
“I like the lake.”
“Yeah. I do too.” Elliot is quiet as he takes a seat beside me. Finally, “You okay?”
“Mmhmm.”
He reaches out and grabs the condensation-covered can, studying the label for a minute. Then he tips it back and takes a drink. “Fuck,” he sputters less than a second later. “That’s terrible.”
I smile. “I know.”
“She’s jealous of you, Denny.”
“I know,” I repeat. Silence lingers before I break it. “You, uh, you weren’t with a girl just now, were you?” I keep my eyes on the rippling water as I feel his on me.
“No,” he replies. “I was in the basement with the guys.”
“Good…because you’ve got a girlfriend now.” I glance over at him. “And don’t you dare get annoyed. This was your idea, and if you changed your mind in the past four hours, I—”
“I didn’t change my mind, Denny.”
“Oh. Okay. Good.” I don’t know why, but I expected him to be more upset about this. Instead, when I glance over at him, he’s grinning. “Who…who told you?”
“That we’redating?” His smile widens, dimples popping out. “Marcus was in the kitchen.”
“I’m sorry. I should have talked to you about it first. She just…really pissed me off.”
“Did you really toss a drink on her?”
I bite my bottom lip. “Yeah. It wasn’t my finest moment.”
“Sure sounds like it was.”
A laugh bursts out of my throat. “Shut up.”
He reaches out and tugs me to his side. I go willingly, resting my head on his shoulder. His body heat seeps through the cotton of his t-shirt and through my dress, branding my skin.
“She brought up your parents?”
I sigh. “Yeah. It’s fine. Not like I didn’t already know I’m low on both of their priority lists.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Want to go get ice cream?”
My stomach rumbles. “We don’t have to leave. We just got here, and you just won the championship—you should celebrate. I just…needed some air.”
“I know we don’t have to leave, and I want to celebrate with ice cream. Do you?”
“Yeah,” I admit. “I do.”
He stands and holds a hand out. I grab the can before grasping it, letting him pull me up. He doesn’t drop my hand right away. “Thank you.”
