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“I’m just preventing another awkward situation for the both of us,” I say, peeking through my fingers at him.
I actually did the whole covering my eyes thing on instinct when Nate stopped by the bakery for the first time after the whole him half naked incident. But after that I started doing it as a joke and it’s just kind of stuck.
“Well, lucky for us, we won’t have to worry about running into each other here for a whole two weeks,” he says, sliding past me toward Bea.
“Are you going on a work trip or something?” I ask.
Nate looks from me to Bea and lets out a low growl that gets even me worked up. Bea instantly has a guilty look on her face.
“I hadn’t told her yet,” she says to Nate.
“Told me what?” I ask the both of them.
“Aubrey, I’m sorry, I know this is shitty timing, but I’m closing the bakery for two weeks. Nate and I–” she pauses to look up at Nate with a more intense glimmer in her eyes than she normally has when she stares at him, “well, we’re going to Italy to elope.”
“Bea!” I practically scream, “Screw worrying about me! I am so happy for you!”
Nate wraps his arms around Bea and the two of them would nauseate me if they didn’t make me so jealous.
“You finally wore her down, Nate?”
“Something like that,” he says, laughing.
The two of them seem to always have a million little inside jokes between them. The more I’ve seen them interact over the past few months, the more I’ve realized I want a love like theirs. One that’s fun and silly. A love that’s equal parts not being able to keep your hands off each other and an intense friendship with all the trust you could imagine. A love I never could have had if I hadn’t left my parents’ house when I did.
I wonder if I could have that kind of love with Emmett. I wonder if that’s something he’d even want with me. Rather than dwell on it, I glance at the nearlyweds one last time with envy before I leave to make my delivery rounds. First stop, the place I was just an hour ago, Pinehurst.
“Hey Aubrey!” Taylor says, a little too loudly for a library from behind the circular desk.
I make my way over to her with a huge smile on my face. Taylor and Madison have really been trying to include me these past few weeks, and it feels great to have friends for once. Their boyfriends, and Emmett’s other best friends, have also been incredibly welcoming. All of them have been over to the barn several times; either together or just one or two of them showing up at random. I learned quickly that everyone refers to Emmett’s place as simply ‘The Barn’ and that even though I am paying his parents a measly two-hundred dollars in rent, the group still expects to use it as their hangout. That’s more than fine by me. I’ve never really had friends before and I’ve grown to really love being social.
“Hey Taylor. I’ve got a sandwich delivery for—” I check the tag on the delivery for a name. I should have done that before I left the bakery so I could mentally prepare myself. I swallow and blurt out his name as my hands go sweaty. “Adam.”
Taylor rolls her eyes and nods her head behind her. A few weeks ago, Adam was somehow brought up in conversation when everyone was hanging out at the barn and Emmett teased me about having a crush on him. I guess most people in the group are not too fond of him because he’s openly flirted with Taylor one too many times.
His back is to me while he works on putting a stack of books away. As I walk toward him, my hands get more and more clammy and I’m worried I’m leaving a sweat spot on the bag. I shuffle it from hand to hand three or four times. When I’m right behind him, I clear my throat and he turns around. I hold out his bag toward him and he flashes me his big, bright white smile and—nothing. The butterflies I normally get when I see him don’t appear. My hands stop sweating and I feel absolutely nothing.
A laugh escapes me. It’s so loud I have to cover my mouth with my free hand. Adam’s looking at me like I just grew an extra head, but he hesitantly takes the paper bag with his sandwich in it and places a five-dollar bill in my hand.
“Uh, thanks,” he says and slowly walks off.
“What in the world was that about?” Taylor asks as I lean up against the desk in front of her.
“Just realizing something is all,” I say.
Taylor gives me a knowing look and nods before I leave for my next delivery. I’m still distracted by laughing at myself that I don’t even see him standing next to the moped until it’s too late.
“Hello, Aubrey,” Pastor Johnson says.
Do I run and abandon the moped or face the man who nearly robbed me of my entire future? I knew this day was likely coming, but I’m still so unprepared to face him. He takes a step toward me. At least we’re out in the open with plenty of people around. He can’t try anything too nefarious here.
“I’ve got somewhere to be,” I mumble and try to walk around him toward the moped, but he blocks my path.
“I just want to make sure you’re okay. We’re all worried about you,” he says, feigning innocence.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have time to chat,” I say and try to go around him the other direction.
He grabs my wrist tightly.
