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Maybe it’s a combination of both.
I didn’t mean to stay away quite so long, but since last Thanksgiving, the thought of being home makes my chest constrict, like I’m stuck in a vise sinking to the bottom of the ocean. So much is changing for my family, while my life has gone stale. The cabins where I used to play hide-and-seek with Aria are being torn down. My siblings are all busy with their lives. And then Mindy—I cut that thought off at the knees.
I don’t want to think about her. I would rather make cringe-worthy small talk. “So. How are things?”
He clears his throat. “Things are good. You?”
“Well, they could be better, considering my bus is crapped out in front of Pearl’s.”
The corner of his mouth tips up, and he nods once.
I turn my gaze out the window. Towering trees soar into the sky on either side of the road, capturing the encroaching gloom and pressing shadows onto the road stretching out in front of us.
We pass Veronica’s, aglow with lights, the parking lot half full. Busier than normal.
A mile later, he turns off the main road onto the narrow drive leading into the camp.
I keep my gaze focused out the passenger window for a glimpse before we turn up toward the main house.
I catch a quick glimpse of white fairy lights, weaving around tree trunks and hugging the edges of rooflines, before the scene disappears from view.
Wow. Just that little glimpse was incredible. I’ve missed so much.
Atticus rolls to a stop in front of the porch of the main house. It hasn’t changed much on the outside, other than the porch being redone last year. The two-story structure is a hodgepodge of materials, from red brick to dark wood with a smattering of stucco thrown in for good measure. It’s weathered and misshapen and I love it for all its oddness.
“Are you getting out here?” I ask.
“No. I’m dropping you off. I have a class coming up.” He peers out the windshield into the night sky.
“At night?”
“When it gets a little darker. Stargazing and s’mores making.” He faces me, dark eyes locking with mine.
My stomach tumbles at the connection.
How am I going to resist him for the next however long I have to be in Whitby? It’s going to be at least a month. Maybe he would be open to a little fling. Just to get it out of our systems. Then I’ll leave and everything will go back to normal.
“Atticus, I—”
My passenger door swings open, making my heart jerk, and then Jake’s familiar form scoops me out of the seat and swings me around.
“Tay-tay!”
I shriek in surprise, the shock quickly turning into laughter. “Jakey!” He puts me down and I smack him on the arm. “You scared the crap out of me.”
He rolls his eyes. “That was kind of the point. I see Ace brought you home without any problems.”
“Ace?” I glance over my shoulder at Atticus.
He’s watching us from the car, a small smile playing around his lips.
“He needed a nickname, and Fuckwad has already been taken.” Jake shrugs.
I lift my brows at him. “And why did heneeda nickname?”
“Who wants to call someone Atticus all the time?” He cringes.
I stick a hand on my hip, slightly outraged in his defense. “What’s wrong with Atticus?”
