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“This feels vaguely like junior high, doesn’t it?” I asked dryly, not caring that my makeup was probably smudged, my clothes were wrinkled, and my hair was a rat’s nest. Growing up together, we’d spent many nights staying at each other’s houses, having fallen asleep together many times over the years. If anyone had seen me at my worst, it would be Dylan.
Dylan put the brush down and shot me a flat look. “Yeah, well, I wish I was just late to soccer practice right now. Oh hell,” he bemoaned when he glanced in the mirror from his position half-in, half-out of the bathroom. “This isn’t going to go well. She won’t believe I was babysitting the twins all night.”
I felt bad for Christy, but I wasn’t sure why Dylan was so concerned with her perception of his evening, considering he was going there to end their relationship in the next hour. “After your conversation concludes, I doubt she’ll care where you spent last night.”
His phone pinged from where it had fallen on the floor beside the bed, and he reached for it. “Maybe, but I don’t want to make it worse.”
“Do you have to be a dick to her today?” As much as I didn’t want him to ask her to join our family activities, I forced out the words. “She can hang with us.”
He shook his head. “No. It will just make this more difficult. I’ve known I should end things weeks ago but didn’t have the balls. So maybe I do need to be somewhat assertive, and definitely no inclusion with the family today. That would be like salt in the wound.”
“Then, my thought is that, yes, you’ll be a dick. The biggest. Definitely.”
Dylan’s head cocked to one side, and he grimaced. “Come on, Remi. You’re my best friend, not Christy’s. I feel bad about hurting her feelings, but I think it’s better to concentrate on the game. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t entertain her all the time. She needs to find her own life, not follow me around the country. You were on my side last night, so what’s changed?”
I pushed off the bed and moved to the open suitcase sitting on the other double bed, then began to pick out an outfit for the day. I chose a pair frayed jean shorts and a yellow V-neck T-Shirt. “I was drunk last night.”
Dylan came up beside me and plucked my black bikini out of the suitcase and handed it to me. “This. Don’t forget what we’re doing today.”
By now both of our phones were blowing up with incoming texts. “Can you text the others, meet them for breakfast, and then explain for me?”
“Okay,” I agreed, trying not to let his nearness intoxicate me. It had been the culprit the previous evening; far more than the few beers and couple of shots we’d shared over many hours.
Dylan’s strong arms encircled me and pulled me into a tight hug. As if the most natural thing in the world, his lips found purchase on my temple. I couldn’t help closing my eyes, savoring the feel of his strong muscles against my body and of being held by him.
“You’re the best.”
I briefly allowed myself to return the embrace before pulling away with a gentle tug. “How long will you be?”
“Maybe an hour. Save me some food, will ya? I’m starving.” Dylan’s hand closed around my forearm in one last contact before he headed to the door. “Last night was fun.”
Our eyes met. “It was.” I nodded. “I’ve really missed you.”
Dylan had stopped in the open doorway. “Me, too. Let’s hang out again tonight, okay?”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure it was a good idea. “Okay.”
“I wish you’d consider coming to the ranch. Just one last time when we can be Remi and Dylan.”
I’d resigned myself that we already had our one last summer… the one before we came to Clemson four years earlier. I felt the familiar sting of tears behind my eyes as my throat tightened, so turned away pretending to look for more clothes in the suitcase.
“We can talk about it later.” I somehow managed to force the words out. “You better get going. And try to be easy on her.”
I felt sad for Christy. Today would be a tough day for her. Anyone who lost Dylan Jeffers would suffer. I knew firsthand, and while I wanted to spend every second I could with him, I was afraid my heart would be broken all over again. It was a big risk.
Would our relationship change, and how would we manage the distance? Were we too used to the situation as it was and had become accustomed to it being easier to not communicate, but would this reconnecting keep us in each other’s lives? I hoped the latter would be true.
“I don’t think she’ll be too upset. She just liked what I represented more than she wanted to be with me.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in a small, sad smile. “Dylan, come on. It’s going to hurt her. Just be kind.”
“I will.” With that, he was gone.
***
The four of us; my mother, Marin, Missy, and me were all sunning poolside after breakfast. I’d saved Dylan a plate of fruit, a bagel and cream cheese and six strips of bacon which was sitting on the table next to my chair, covered by a towel. If he didn’t hurry, it would be spoiled.
Bliss was practicing diving from the board on one end of the pool and Uncle Ben, my dad and Jensey were playing with the twins in the center, all three of them trying to coax the women to join in for a game of water volleyball. The boys were annoying our mothers with their series of cannonballs; their efforts succeeding in splashing up huge waves of chlorinated water, several times over.
