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When they arrived back at Eloise’s, he wasn’t sure if he should follow her or not. At least not until she pulled him behind her. They moved about her small apartment in silence. Brushing their teeth, changing for bed, and locking up. They placed their phones on her nightstand and plugged them in to charge. Their movements seemed robotic, and he didn’t like that.
Kiel wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of Fraser without it seeming as if he were prying. He liked her. More than he probably should, considering they didn’t live anywhere near each other.
Eloise crawled into bed first, and then Kiel. He turned onto his side, brushed her hair away from her face, and smiled. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever known, and he feared he was falling hard and fast for her.
“Do you want to talk about tonight?” Eloise’s voice was quiet, almost sad.
“How did you know?”
She shrugged. “Because it’s on my mind. The way Fraser acted. He was rude and out of line. The comments he made . . .” Eloise closed her eyes. “I should’ve said something at the table but didn’t want to cause a scene. The next time I see him though, I’m going to make sure he knows how much of a jerk he is.”
“Who is he?”
“We dated in high school, but I broke it off when I moved. We didn’t keep in contact or anything, so it’s not like we ever talked about getting back together. When I came back, I ran into him right away. It was like he knew I was back in town or something. I never asked my aunt if told him. She probably did, if they had run into each other. Either way, I thought he was a friend.”
“He still likes you, and it’s very clear he doesn’t want to be your friend.”
“I see that.”
“Do you like him?”
Eloise shook her head. “No, the one I like is in my bed, looking like he might lose something important to him.”
Kiel tried not to smile due to the heaviness of the night and their conversation but failed. He more than liked her and feared the end of summer and where they’d be. When he was with Eloise, life felt easy. She made it look effortless and didn’t dwell on what she couldn’t change. Whereas his mind focused on where and what he needed to do for his future constantly. The last thing he wanted was to lose Eloise or give her up at all. Even if it meant they’d remain friends and nothing more.
Although, being friends with her would be hard. He had a hard time imagining his life without her being a constant for him.
“I know I have little room to say anything since I’m only here for the summer, but I definitely felt like I had to pee on you or do something extremely manly to claim you.”
Eloise laughed. “Please don’t pee on me.”
“I’ve never done that before, and I’d really like to keep it that way.”
Eloise came closer. “I’m really sorry Fraser’s piss poor attitude ruined our night.”
“Me too.” He picked up a strand of her hair, loving how easily he could twirl it around his finger. Almost as if the strand had a mind of its own and wanted to be there.
“Your one friend there, Tidal, right? Hhis family owns the charter company, you told me about?”
She nodded. “Blue Lobster Adventures. They do a bunch of tours all around the island.”
“Have you ever done one?”
“No, I live here. Why would I do a tour?”
Kiel shrugged. “Everyone should explore where they’re from. Would you do a tour with me?”
“I’d love to,” she said as she pushed her leg in between his. Kiel slipped his arm under her head and moved closer to her, closing the gap between them.
“Which one?”
“We should go whale watching.”
“You have whales here?”
Eloise stared at Kiel for a long moment. “Actually, we don’t. They must take us toward the Cape.”
“Makes sense. When are you free to go?”
