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“Are you serious? You used to be so disciplined.”
“I know. I lost my mojo a while back.”
He clapped his hands. “Well, chop chop! Time to get your mojo back.”
I straightened up and looked out toward the sunrise, then at the still-closed door. I could sense his presence there. “You’re not going to let me get out of this, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
I dragged my ass out of bed. “Okay, give me a minute to get dressed.”
“I’ll grab some coffee and wait downstairs for you.”
My mouth curved into a smile. “Since when do you drink coffee, Remington?”
“I started about a year ago. I think of you every time I drink it. Now I’m hooked.”
He pounded on the door one last time, and I heard his footsteps fade into the distance. Still half asleep, I took my time getting dressed.
When I joined him in the kitchen, Archie’s eyes very obviously traced over the revealing athletic tank top and tight Spandex shorts I’d put on. What can I say? If Mariah was going to have him forever, I at least wanted to borrow his admiration this weekend. It’s just innocent fun, I told myself. Nothing more.
“I thought you said you were getting…dressed.” He swallowed. “I think you might have accidentally gotten undressed.”
I shrugged. “It’s hot out.”
Archie cleared his throat. “True.”
In that moment, I realized for the first time in years that I did still have an effect on him. Physical chemistry was hard to gauge from across the continent. Then again, I’d never put it to the test the way I had just now.
Archie waited for me to gulp down some coffee.
After about five minutes, we left the house, hit the gravel, and took off down the road. The warm ocean breeze followed, the salty air like an old friend. How I’d missed this feeling—Archie running alongside me.
It was smooth and uneventful for about thirty minutes until Archie suddenly stopped. His face went white as he panted. “Can we take a break for a minute?”
“What’s wrong?”
I wasn’t even sure why I’d asked. Because as I watched him clutch his chest and gasp for air, I knew exactly what was happening. Let’s just say, it wasn’t Archie’s first rodeo.
CHAPTER 6
NOELLE
PAST
WHEN I ARRIVED at the beach, Archie was already set up in his usual spot. Bree was once again glued to his side, with a beer in hand. I did my best to ignore Cici and the old crew on the other side of the bonfire. She probably wondered why I’d abandoned their ship, though it was possible Xavier had badmouthed me to her.
Archie waved when he spotted me approaching his group.
“We were talking about heading to the cliff walk tonight,” James said.
I nodded. “That sounds like fun. I haven’t been over there yet.”
Soon after, we walked over to the scenic, rocky trail. Archie disappeared with Bree, and I was left with James, who was always interesting to talk to.
“Would you want to hang out this weekend?” he asked. “Maybe go to Abe’s Seafood Shack for some fish and chips?”
“You mean like a date?” I stupidly said.
“Unless you’d rather it not be. We could just go as friends. But yeah, to be clear, I’m asking you out.”
I wasn’t sure how I wanted to respond. But ultimately, I decided I had nothing to lose. “Yeah. Alright. That sounds like fun.”
“Cool.” He beamed.
We then returned to normal conversation.
After a while, Archie emerged with Bree, after doing God knows what.
When I realized how late it was, I hugged James goodbye. He offered to walk me home, but before I could answer, Archie came running over.
“You headed back to the house?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I am, too. I’ll walk you.”
“You’re leaving?” I said, surprised.
“I have to go to my internship tomorrow.”
“I didn’t realize you were starting so soon.”
“Yup. So I can’t be doing an all-nighter. Plus…” He winked. “I have to run at 6 AM sharp.”
James looked between us. I said goodnight to him again and made my way down the road with Archie.
I couldn’t stop my mouth. “You disappeared for a while with Bree. I didn’t think you were coming back.”
“Did my absence bother you?”
A rush of heat tore through me. Shit. Am I giving that impression? “Of course not,” I answered, laughing it off.
“I’m only hanging out with her because it’s…easy,” he admitted. “She knows me. I know her. There’s nothing to prove. It’s just a summer thing, and I know I won’t have to feel guilty at the end of the season when we don’t talk again until next year.”
I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth. “Easy for the summer. I get it.” After some silence, I asked, “James is a good guy, right?”
“He is. A real good guy.” He knocked into my shoulder. “Why? You like him or something?”
“I’m not sure. But he asked me to go out with him this weekend, and I said yes.”
