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I’m hungover like crazy, and even though I want to have some food, I’d much rather go back to sleep. I can’t just leave Kate to her own devices, though.
I’m holding my breath as Carter looks at me. I’m terrified he might reject me. Until the question left my lips I didn’t realize I’ve been longing to spend time with him.
Carter smiles and I breathe a sigh of relief. “Sure, Emilia. That sounds like fun.”
Chapter 9
Emilia
Carter drives us to a cute little restaurant away from campus. I couldn’t relax at all as we both got ready just now. I nearly had a mental breakdown thinking Kate would come storming into the bathroom just as I was rummaging through Carter’s cupboard for a spare toothbrush. It’s not until we left the house that I could breathe easy.
“This place is cute,” I tell Carter. He smiles at me and points out his favorite dishes. We both end up ordering eggs, toast and bacon. Can’t go wrong with the basics.
I almost moan out loud when I take my first bite and Carter laughs at me. “The options here are simple, but everything is so good.”
Part of me wants to know how he discovered this place and how it came to be his favorite breakfast place, but a larger part of me fears I wouldn’t like the answer.
I sip my coffee silently, feeling oddly out of it. Every once in a while I catch a glimpse of the guy he used to be. Sometimes I catch him looking at me a certain way that makes me think he must still have some feelings for me. But other times it’s like it’s only fleeting lust and nothing more. Like I’m just another girl he finds hot.
“How has college been, Milly? It’s been, what, three months?”
I freeze and stare at him with wide eyes. “Don’t call me that,” I snap. He looks up at me in surprise and smiles before looking away. I clear my throat awkwardly. Carter has never once called me Milly, not even when we were kids. It’s always been a name that only family has ever used, and I’ve never seen Carter as family. He’s always been so much more than that. Even when we were younger, I never saw him like my brother, even though I’ve always thought of Kate as my sister.
“I’m sorry, Carter. I mean, of course you can call me that. That was unwarranted.”
He chuckles and takes another sip of coffee. “It’s fine, Emilia. I guess we aren’t close enough for me to call you Milly, huh?”
My heart clenches and I’m not sure how to explain, how to talk myself out of this one. “You’ve never called me Milly before so I was just a little startled, that’s all.”
Carter looks at me and smiles. “I see. But my parents and Kate call you that, so isn’t it only natural that I’d call you that too?”
My heart twists even more and I nod, my head moving only slightly, as though I can only just make myself do it. “I…yeah, of course. Of course, Carter.”
It’s weird that something as simple as this makes me feel so damn heartbroken. He’s drawing a line between us. Is he saying he’s going to start seeing and treating me as family now, or am I overthinking it?
“Never mind,” he murmurs. “You’ll always be Emilia to me. You’ll always be my Minx.”
I look into his eyes, startled. I bite down on my lip and look away, clearing my throat.
“College has been fine. Not as fun as I thought it’d be. I’m mostly just studying, actually. I’m more homesick than I ever thought I’d be. It’s crazy, but it’s actually your mom I miss most.”
Carter nods in understanding. “That’s not crazy at all. You two are so close. I’m sure she misses you too. You two been calling or texting?”
I nod. “We text every morning and every night, and I try to call her every other day or so too.”
Carter smiles at me adoringly. “That’s why you’re Mom’s favorite. She texts Kate and me too, but I bet you’re the only one that never fails to text her back.”
I shake my head. “I’m not her favorite,” I say. Carter looks at me in disbelief and I smile at him.
“College is more than just studying though, Emilia. You should have some fun too. I’m sorry for not checking in with you more. I know things between us… have been different. But if we can, I’d like for us to be friends again. Let’s try, okay?”
I nod, my heart beating wildly. I’ll take whatever Carter will give me. “Yeah, let’s try,” I murmur. I’d want nothing more than to have Carter back in my life, fully.
We’re both quiet as Carter drives me back to my dorm. It’s like we both want to get back to where we were, but neither one of us can pretend that we’re truly just friends.
He hugs me as we reach the building, and I smile up at him. He brushes my hair out of my face tenderly. “Tutoring session next week?” he asks. “We need to get you back on track so you can actually start to enjoy college.”
I nod gratefully and wave as he walks away. I feel all out of sorts, my stomach is fluttering excitedly and my heart feels lighter than it’s been in weeks. God, I hope I’m still drunk.
