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Lily
Maybe
Nico
love it when ur coy
I stare at my phone, trying to wash down the eruption of my heartbeat whacking at my chest. This entire exchange is making me feel like I’m talking to a high school crush.
Lily
No. You just love it when anyone talks about you
Nico
just you
only when u talk about me
or when u talk to me, are around me, come bc of me
“Who are you texting?” Avery’s voice sounds from behind me.
I toss my phone into my bag and face her. “Um…Molly.”What’s another lie to add to the bucket I have to dump on her?
“Tell her I say hi.” Avery walks toward me with two green smoothies. She hands me one, then sits next to me on the beach chair. “This spot is so cute.”
We’re in a private beachside cabana. Above us, a canopy of linen and bamboo blocks the bright sun.
The beach is similar to the one where I spent most of my days in Rio, and part of me aches to return to that time.
Avery gives me a soft tap on the knee. “Everything alright?”
I face her, wanting to talk about the email I received from Grand City Institute this morning.
“So, I have to take next semester off college because I missed my class registration deadline.” I sigh. When I read the email, my thoughts bounced between relief and dread.
It’s strange how your life can morph and change in a few weeks without you even realizing it. But two months after deciding to ditch returning to New York, I’m struggling to reconcile the parts of me I’ve always kept close to my chest.
Avery places one of her warm hands on my knee. “I know how important this degree is to you, but this could be a good thing. You’ve changed your major so many times. This might be a sign for you to pause and reflect on what you truly want, Lily.”
“Maybe.” I say, not feeling convinced. “I just don’t want to prolong my degree any longer.”
But if I was being honest with myself, the idea of going back to school amidst everything feels overwhelming.
“Of course, you don’t. Though, occasionally, time away from something so important can help provide a new perspective.”
“That’s true.” It’s possible that all I need right now is for things to settle down, and I can return to school feeling revitalized.
“Either way, I’m proud of you for taking the summer off and giving yourself a break. Never once have I seen you this…I don’t know how to describe it. You have something new about you.” She swings her legs over the side of the beach chair and leans in to inspect me. “I can’t seem to place it, though.”
Huh, where to start?
I became a bestselling author who had her work plagiarized. I’m having wild sex with your brother-in-law, who’s the only person that’s seen almost every side of me and didn’t want to turn away. Oh, and I’ve fallen in—
No. Nope. I can’t let my brain try to make sense of that right now.
This could be the perfect time to tell her all of this, but the words struggle to leave my lips. “Everything is just as it was at the beginning of this summer.”
