Текст книги "Thizz, A Love Story"

Автор книги: Nicole Loufas

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

My job at the cafe was a sympathy offer to get me off of Lucy’s couch. It was one sympathy perk I didn’t mind taking advantage of. It offers a very important element in my life—coffee. I love coffee anything—candy, candles, ice cream, mints. If there was a coffee perfume, I’d wear it.

The bells above the door jingle as I walk into the cafe. The owner of Eureka Coffee, Patty, is at the corner table in deep conversation with Mrs. Montgomery. She doesn’t even look up when I walk past her to the storeroom. The gossip must be good today. Patty is a short, gray-haired woman with two grown children about Lucy’s age. She opened the café when her husband passed away six years ago. She told me she needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Lucy thinks it’s a really sad way to look at life, but I get it. It’s sort of how I feel about getting into CAL.

I really like Patty. She is the only person that knows about my parents that hasn’t given me the look. You know that look people give when they feel sorry for you, like it is killing them to even speak to you. I hate that look.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” the heavily perfumed she-devil at the register squeaks when I walk past her.

I only have one gripe about working at Eureka Coffee. Her name is Mary. She’s Patty’s granddaughter, so there isn’t much I can do about her. I think Lucy and Patty hoped we would be friends. A small part of me thought we would be too, but Mary didn’t get the memo. She’s been a bitch to me since the moment I walked through the door because I actually get paid to be here. She works for free as a favor to her grandmother, or so she says. I think she does it to get out of the house. Her parents are super strict. Mary isn’t allowed to date until she turns eighteen. If I had a daughter who looked like Mary, I would keep her locked up too. Mary has a flawless smile and amazing blue eyes. Both compliments of her father, who is the town’s dentist and George Clooney’s long-lost twin. Her mother owns a fancy salon and day spa next door, Lady Luxe, so she always looks like she just stepped out of a magazine. She’s a senior at St. Bernard’s, an all-girl Catholic high school, and today she has decided to work in her uniform. The few boys that come in love it. These little acts of rebellion are what keeps me from totally hating her.

“Please tell me you heard from CAL so I don’t have to listen to you whine about it to my grandmother anymore,” she quips and applies a fresh coat of pink lipstick in the hand mirror she keeps next to the register. “I’m so glad I was accepted early to the University of San Francisco. All this waiting must really suck for you.” Mary loves to throw her early admission in my face. I decide to take the high road and ignore her snide comment. It makes my shift a lot smoother when I don’t try to defend myself.

I pull a cup from the order line and wonder how long it’s been sitting up here. Customer service isn’t a high priority at Eureka Coffee. Most of our customers are friends of Patty’s. They don’t mind waiting ten minutes for their order if the gossip is good. The café is small. There are only seven tables inside and four outside, and they’re all full. It’s very rare to find an empty table at this time of day.

I make a large vanilla latte, set the cup on the counter, and reach for a lid to find there are none. God forbid Mary restocks the counter. I tell the customer to hold on and head to the storeroom. I’m only gone a few seconds when a piercing squeal that resembles my name echoes through the café. Mary has only one physical flaw, her voice. She sounds like a three-year-old that sucked all the helium out of a balloon. I would take my time, but I don’t want to torture the customers. I grab a stack of lids and hurry back.

“There’s a line.” Mary spins on the stool at the register, and her thick black hair floats behind her like a super hero cape.

“Thank you Captain Obvious.” I toss the lids on the counter and go back to work.

I get three cappuccinos and a large Americano out in record time. I’m working on my fourth cup when I hear someone say, “Excuse me, can I have extra foam on that?”

“No problem,” I reply without looking up as I pour the steamed milk into a cup and add a dollop of extra foam on top. “Small latte, with extra foam.” I place the cup on the counter and start on the next order.

“Thanks,” says the voice. This time I recognize it.

I whip my ahead around and see Nick Marino standing in front of me.

“Hi, I uh, I mean, you’re welcome.” I look behind him to make sure Katie isn’t in the corner with a dart gun ready to take me out. I also kind of hoped to see Matt. But Nick’s alone. Totally alone and talking to me.

“What time do you get off? Can I give you a ride home?”

Holy hell, Nick Marino is offering me a ride. First Matt and now Nick. I wonder if Matt knows he’s here. I wonder why I even care what Matt thinks. He isn’t the one standing here with a smile that could melt an iceberg. For all I know, Matt was setting me up with Nick yesterday. That doesn’t change the fact that I sort of like Matt. Even if he doesn’t like me. I don’t have time to debate this. Nick is waiting for an answer. “A ride would be awesome,” I say with way more enthusiasm than called for.

“Ok, let’s get back to work.” Patty steps between the counter and my view of Nick. “She gets off at eight, hot shot.”

Nick nods politely at Patty, then looks around her and smiles at me. He takes two backwards steps, holding my gaze, then turns around and leaves. When the door closes, every female in the café exhales. Mary looks at me like I’ve just sprouted horns and a tail. I escape to the bathroom before she can launch into her interrogation.

The lighting in here is a lot better than the bathroom at school. It doesn’t make me look like the undead, but I’m still me. Boring. Weird. Me. My nails are too short, my chest is too small, and I have on the same socks I wore yesterday. Why the hell would Nick Marino ask me out? I know I shouldn’t care or even think about Matt, but I do. For an hour I agonized over the idea that Matt was interested in me, and I liked that feeling. I definitely felt something. Although, it could’ve been the egg salad sandwich I ate for lunch. None of that matters now, because I was totally wrong. Matt didn’t invite me to the parking lot to ask me out, he was setting me up with Nick. I didn’t see that yesterday because I obviously suck at boys. Ok, so Matt doesn’t like me. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel something for him. His smile, those eyes. I sigh just thinking about him. Do I just ignore the tingles he gives me? Forget all the juvenile fantasies I have about Matt and horses and happily ever after just because Nick Marino asked me out?

Yes. Hell to the yes. I have an opportunity to spend six or seven minutes alone with Nick Marino and I’m taking it.

As soon as I step out of the bathroom, Mary slides off her stool and meets me at the train. Patty calls the espresso machine the train because of its steaming process. Her late husband was a train collector; they visited dozens of railroad museums, and he preferred the old steam trains over all the others.

“Why is Nick Marino talking to you?” Mary crosses her arms and leans her hip against the counter.

“How did you know that was Nick Marino?” Mary’s overprotective parents barely let her out of the house to work here. I doubt she’s ever crossed paths with him.

“Everyone knows who Nick is. He’s the grandson of Mariann Marino, owner of JM Developers; they only own half the real estate in the county and the largest construction company in California.” Mary rolls her eyes. “So what, are you tutoring him or something?”

Mary doesn’t believe a guy like Nick would be interested in me. I don’t believe it either, but I’m not going to let her ruin the moment. “I know him from school.” Sort of. “We hung out at the Rack Room on Friday.” I push her aside. “He was just offering me a ride home.”

Mary’s eyes widen. “You went to the Rack Room. With Nick Marino?” The bells above the door jingle, and three women from the neighboring health food store walk in. Unlike most of our clientele, they’re always in a hurry to get back to work.

“We have customers.”

“Fine,” Mary scowls and returns to her perch. I catch her eyeing me the rest of my shift like she’s trying to figure out how I managed to fool Nick Marino into thinking I’m someone he wants to hang out with. You and me both, sister.

Somewhere around seven o’clock, I stop trying to analyze why Nick has offered me a ride home and whether or not Matt had anything to do with it, and I start to freak out. Questions, doubts, and nightmares flood my brain. Did he come into the café knowing I would be here? Does that mean he was thinking about me? My heart does this thing where it stops beating for a minute then bounces against my chest like a mental patient trying to escape capture. I don’t like Nick. I don’t want to like him. Being with someone like Nick means being on everyone’s radar. I like to fly low, real low. So far below the radar that nobody knows I exist. I’m overanalyzing this. He offered me a ride home, that’s it. I’ll take the ride, thank him, and say goodnight. This doesn’t have to turn into something it’s not.

At five minutes to eight, Nick’s car pulls in front of the café. I say goodbye to Patty and ignore Mary’s dirty look. I open the door and walk through it as if I’m walking through a portal to a land where someone like Nick Marino is waiting for someone like me to get off work. This is a fairy tale moment if I’ve ever seen one. Or not. Maybe it’s just a really nice guy offering a really pathetic girl a ride home.

Nick’s leaning against the passenger door in a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. His arms are crossed over his chest like one of those old photos of James Dean. Holy hell.

“Hey Dani.” He smiles and opens the door for me. I say hi without meeting his eyes.

Nick gets in and starts the car. A classic rock song blares from the speakers. “Sorry about that,” he apologizes and turns the music down.

“It’s ok, I like that song.” It was “More than a Feeling” by Boston. Johnson has been schooling me on classic rock since I was eight. I know way more about seventies rock and eighties hair bands than anyone my age should.

Nick smiles like he doesn’t believe me and switches to the radio. “What time do you have to be home?”

The question catches me off guard. Why does it matter, if we’re going straight to Lucy’s house? “Uh, I’m not sure.” I don’t want to tell him I’ve never been out before, so I have no idea if I have a curfew.

“Well, there’s a bonfire at Gold Beach, do you think you can go?”

Something that feels like excitement brews in my belly. Do I want to go out with Nick, or do I want to go home and stuff my face with chips and salsa while watching old episodes of America’s Next Top Model? This is exactly the kind of thing Lucy was hoping for. Me out on a Saturday night. This is her idea of normal. I’ll do it for Lucy. “Yeah, I can go.”

“Sweet.” Nick pulls out of the parking lot and heads towards the highway. His car is loud and takes some effort to drive. He’s constantly shifting gears and checking gauges. It takes the pressure off making small talk. Once we’re on the highway, he turns the volume up on the stereo to drown out the silence that I wouldn’t really call awkward. The stereo is on a local radio station. Through the static I can barely recognize the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.”

“The reception sucks out here. You want to hear a CD?” Nick pulls a leather case from between the seats and hands it to me.

I take the case from him and set it in my lap. You can learn a lot about a person through their music collection. “Sure.” I flip it open and look through the first few pages. He’s got all the latest music—Weezer, Snoop Dogg, even Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” It’s the other stuff that impresses me, like Otis Redding’s Greatest Hits and an old Bon Jovi CD. “I didn’t think guys like you were so eclectic.”

“Oh really, what kind of guy do you think I am?” Nick raises his eyebrow in that sexy, curious way sexy guys like Nick do to make self-conscious girls like me feel like they’re going to pee their pants.

I can’t say what I’m thinking—the kind of guy that gets what he wants, who he wants, whenever he wants, the kind of guy that would never ask me out. Instead, I open a page that contains the Rolling Stones, Dr. Dre, Sublime, and Santana. I hold it up so he can see my point.

Nick smiles. “My uncle owns a bar in San Francisco. I know most of the music from his juke box, but I pretty much listen to everything. What about you?”

I’m about to tell him we have a lot in common musically when I flip the page. My eyes drift to the last slot on the right, to an Eagles CD. I run my hand over the picture of the sun setting behind the hotel and remember the long melodic guitar solo that filled our SUV the last time I saw my father. I never realized how much missing him hurt until this moment. I bite my lip until I taste blood.

“Do you want to hear that one?”

“No.” I close the case. “This is fine.” The static is so bad it sounds like aliens are trying to make contact.

“How about a little classic rock?” Nick hits a button on the CD player and Motley Crue’s “Without You” fills the car.

Johnson’s tutorials on classic rock versus eighties hair bands have finally paid off. “I love this song.” I feel the smile form on my face. An honest-to-God smile. I look at Nick and feel the urge to thank him, but I have no idea why. All he did was push play.

I listen to the very romantic lyrics and wonder if this song will ever mean something to us. Do I even want there to be an Us? I have a plan, a mission—CAL. Nick is not in the plan. Nick is a plan killer. I look at the one thing that can deter me from my future, and his lips are moving. He’s singing. His eyes flit in my direction. He’s singing to me.

Without you, without you, a sailor lost at sea. Without you, woman, the world comes down on me.

This song is telling me one day my heart will wilt and die. It’s a risk I’m willing to take, because right now I can’t think of anything better than falling madly, deeply in love with Nick Marino.

I’m sitting on a log outside the glow of the fire when I see them. Dani looks like a frightened animal being lured to slaughter. Nick is oblivious to the anguish he’s causing her, parading her around like she’s a prize. Congratulations, Nick. You win. I slam the beer in my hand and reach for another. He could’ve had the balls to tell me he was going out with Dani tonight. I wonder if he had this planned when he asked me if I liked her. Why even ask? I slam another beer and crush the can before tossing it in the sand.

“Hey Matt,” Haley calls from somewhere in the dark. “I thought you were coming with Nick? Where is he?”

Nick is never hard to find in a crowd. He shines like a fucking lucky coin. “He’s over there.”

Haley turns towards the fire then murmurs some obscenities under her breath. “What is he doing with her?” She plops down next to me.

I shrug and take the cup from her hand. I sniff it; it smells like fruit juice and alcohol—Sex on the Beach most likely. These chicks are so predictable. I down it and toss the cup.

“Hey!” Haley retrieves it from the sand. “What’s wrong with you?” She dusts it off and I notice she’s blinged out the red solo cup with her name in glittery girly writing.

I shrug. I don’t know why I’m so irritated. It isn’t like I have a right to be. I don’t own Dani. Hell, I didn’t even ask her out. I didn’t have the balls and now it’s too late.

Haley sits next to me and follows my line of sight to Nick and Dani. “I’m not the only one that got snaked, huh?” I don’t answer her. I don’t know the answer. “So, you like her?” Haley offers me a joint. She always has weed.

I take it from her and she hands me a lighter. I put it to my lips and inhale as I hold the flame to the other end. Smoke fills my lungs. I hold it in for a long time before exhaling. I hand the lit joint back to Haley. “She’s cool,” I say. It’s all I am willing to admit.

Haley takes a puff and hands it back to me. “Don’t worry, it won’t last. She’s not like us. She doesn’t party.”

“How do you know?” How does anyone know anything about Dani? I’ve never seen her talk to anyone at school. Believe me, I would’ve noticed.

“She told Heather she doesn’t party. She goes to book clubs or something.”

“Yeah right.” Probably just another lie Heather made up about Dani. I can’t keep track of all the rumors she spread about her. I take another hit and look at Haley. She’s wearing her Eureka High hoodie with black jeans and furry boots. Her hair looks curlier than normal, and she has on a sweet-smelling perfume. I can smell it through the weed. Out of all the girls in her clique, she’s the only one I bother to talk to. I’ve known her the longest. She’s a regular fixture in all my class pictures. “So, what’s up with you and Nick?”

Haley looks at Nick, who hasn’t let go of Dani’s hand since he got here, and takes a puff. “We hooked up a couple of weeks ago, after the game against McKinnleyville. I thought he liked me, but you know Nick. With guys like that, you just sort of wait it out until it’s your turn.”

“That’s all you want? To be some douche bag’s turn? You’re too good for that, Haley.” I look at Dani. “You’re too good for him.”

I fall onto my back and stare at the stars. “I bet Ashley is looking through her telescope right now.”

“How is your sister? I heard she’s...better.” Haley falls next to me and passes back the joint.

I take it from her and check the end to make sure it’s still lit. “She’s good,” I say in between hits. I don’t want to think about Ashley right now. I close my eyes. I don’t want to think about anything.

The laughter and bright glow of the fire fades as we walk in the brisk night air. Anxious butterflies have replaced the knot in my stomach. I focus on him, his hand, his smile, his eyes—and try to forget the horrible welcome I received when we got here. That was exactly the thing I was trying to avoid. Luckily, Heather wasn’t among the gaggle of blondes that looked like they wanted to push me in the fire. I have a feeling dating Nick Marino is going to be bad for my health. Mentally and physically. It’s obvious to me and everyone else that I don’t belong with Nick. But I can’t leave. I don’t even want to. He’s like a drug and I can’t say no.

I’m not even sure any of this is real. I would say I’m dreaming, but I never dream this big. Nick grips my hand and pulls me closer. He leans towards me and I feel the warmth of his breath on my face. That’s real. He is real.

“You make great lattes,” he says with a little laugh.

“That wasn’t the first latte I made for you.”

“I know,” he says with a smile.

He knows, which means he has noticed me before today. “So, is that why you asked me out, you like my lattes?” He must’ve asked Matt to send the message so we could meet properly. Knowing this makes me feel better about Nick and me becoming us.

He sort of laughs then bumps me with his shoulder. “Nah. You seem like an interesting person and I thought it would be cool to hang out.”

“Yeah right, I’m the least interesting person you’ll ever meet.” The only interesting thing about me is the one thing I can’t tell him.

Nick stops walking and turns to face me. We’re standing so close, no wind passes between us. He slides a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You really want to know why I asked you out?”

I could care less. The why doesn’t matter, all that matters is now. This moment. Staring into those perfect hazel eyes. Nick runs his finger across my jaw and stops under my chin. Is he going to kiss me? The last time I kissed a boy was over two years ago. It was in a closet during a Christmas party at my father’s firm. His name was Charles, the son of the CEO. His breath tasted like peaches from the cheap brandy he had hidden in his coat pocket. The kiss was sloppy and wet. I am so ready for a new first kiss. I don’t care if we just met. Kissing a boy like Nick isn’t something that happens every day. Screw the rules.

A sly smile forms on his lips. I feel his breath on my mouth, my lips part, waiting, wanting. He’s going to kiss me. Nick Marino is going to kiss me.

He leans in closer, his lips brushing my ear. “It’s your lattes,” he whispers. “It could also have something to do with the fact that you’re beautiful.” He kisses my cheek and backs away with a playful grin.

Did Nick Marino just call me beautiful? I know I’m not horrible looking, but the positioning of my nose and the curve of my lips have nothing to do with why I find his compliment shocking. I find it unbelievable because I know I’m not up to his standard. I’ve seen his standard: Katie. She could do a Victoria’s Secret catalog shoot tomorrow without having to puke her dinner. She was perfect. And he didn’t want her.

I don’t douse myself with make-up every morning or give two shits about my hair. I never wear perfume and I can’t even remember the last time I plucked my eyebrows. Nick and I don’t match on so many levels, yet being here feels right.

Nick swoops down and picks up something from the sand. He examines it for a second then puts it in the pocket of his jacket. I think it was a shell. Oh lord, he collects shells too. My heart bursts into song. You can’t look like Nick and collect shells. It’s just not fair. I’m going to fall in love with this boy, whether I want to or not.

“How old are you?” Nick spins around and walks backwards, facing me.

“I just turned eighteen.” My birthday was last Saturday. I had to work and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Lucy brought me a cupcake from the hospital cafeteria during her lunch break and I let her and Patty sing “Happy Birthday” to me in the back room. Celebrating didn’t feel right without my parents.

Nick stumbles back and puts his hand over his heart. “Oh man. You’re older than me.” He’s blushing like this really bothers him. “I won’t be eighteen until next month.”

“Good thing you told me this now, because I have a rule about dating guys younger than me.” Nick raises an eyebrow, and I realize he’s reacting to the fact that I just said the word dating. “I mean, I’m not saying I want to date you.” Nick clutches his chest again. “I mean, of course I want to date you, if dating you was an option.” I feel my face turn red hot. “I just need to shut up.” Just run now, Dani, before you make a bigger fool of yourself.

Nick reaches out for me. I let him take my hand and pull me to him. “To be honest, knowing you’re older kind of makes me want you even more.” He runs his hand down the side of my face then turns around and continues walking down the beach.

Being wanted by Nick is the best feeling in the world.

Being wanted by Nick is the scariest feeling in the world.

I don’t like needing things, because when you don’t have them anymore, it hurts. The idea of Nick not wanting me someday is almost worth walking away right now. Almost.

We are pretty far from the bonfire. Pale moonlight and the fuzzy orange glow from the parking lot is the only thing lighting our path. I stumble a few times and bump into him, not totally by accident.

“Whoa.” Nick catches me. He takes my hand and pulls me into his arms, holding me as we walk. My hormones are raging in a way that I never knew was possible. All of Lucy’s lectures on birth control and safe sex make a little more sense now. Even when I was making out in the closet with Charles, I never felt like this. Nick and I are just walking, and thoughts of him ravishing me won’t stop running through my mind.

“So, you’ve lived in Eureka your whole life?” I ask, desperate to say something.

“Yep. Depressing isn’t it? But I’m out of here after graduation. I have some things lined up in San Francisco.” He lets go of me to pick up a rock, then he throws it into the darkness ahead of us. The gesture looks so juvenile. So unlike something the man walking beside me would do. His face looks like it belongs on the cover of a romance novel. There is nothing about Nick Marino that says boy, even if he is only seventeen.

“I applied to CAL, but I’ll probably live in San Francisco.” I don’t want him to think I’m stalking him if we end up living in the same city. Even though I would totally stalk him; he’s so stalkable. “Did you apply to San Francisco State or USF?”

“Oh yeah, school.” Nick stares at the sand as we walk. He runs his hand through his hair and clears his throat. “I do have to go to college, it’s a family thing. I just don’t know where I’m going yet.” Nick pauses. “My family owns a bunch of property around town. I don’t know what you’ve heard.”

I remember what Mary said about Nick’s family being the largest developers in California, but it’s Mary. How credible can she be? “Not much. I hate gossip.”

“Me too.” Nick smiles and takes my hand. He corroborates Mary’s story about his family, only he tells the story like he’s embarrassed. “It’s no big deal. Besides, it’s my family’s money, not mine. I don’t want any part of their business.” Nick’s tone turns hard. “I’m going to make my own money. I’m going to take the Marino name to places it’s never been before.”

The fact that he separates himself from his family’s wealth is commendable. He isn’t a typical spoiled rich kid. Not that I thought of him as one, but hearing the conviction in his voice when he talks about making his own money tells me he’s passionate about his future. It only makes me admire him more.

We walk a few feet in silence. I get the feeling he’s finished talking about his family, so don’t I ask any questions. The last thing I want to do is talk about my family.

“What was it like growing up in the city?” he finally asks.

“Foggy mostly.” Please don’t ask me anything else.

Nick laughs. “Yeah, the weather kind of sucks, but it beats the shit out of Eureka. Why the hell would you move here? Did your parents want to torture you or something?”

I could tell him the lie Lucy made up for her coworkers and friends. She tells people my parents are on some bullshit philanthropic mission helping indigenous people in the South Pacific. I don’t want to lie to Nick. It will just make it that much harder to tell him the truth later. If there is a later. I shrug and force a smile. “Yeah, something like that.”

Nick is waiting for me to elaborate, but I can’t. I won’t. We keep walking hand in hand, both of us holding on to family secrets we don’t want to share.

“So, you like Audiodub?” It’s the only safe topic I can think of. It’s also something I’ve been curious about since I heard “Lucky Go Leah” in his car.

“Are you kidding? I love Audiodub. My uncle Will knows one of the guys in the band. Maybe we can go see them sometime. I’ll introduce you.” Nick’s face lights up at the thought. “Have you ever seen them live?”

I tell Nick I haven’t seen them, but it’s a lie. I saw Audiodub play at Slim’s last year. My mom freaked out when I asked her if I could go. She said Slim’s wasn’t an appropriate venue for a girl my age, even though the place has no age limit. The night of the concert, my father told my mom he was taking me to dinner and a movie. Instead he took me to see Audiodub. I couldn’t count on my father for much, but when he came through, he came through big. We never told my mom, it was just our secret. It still is.

“Then I’m definitely taking you.” I love that he is already thinking about future dates, because I can’t imagine my future without him in it. I’m so screwed.

We stop at the end of the cove and stare in the direction of the ocean. I try to maintain some dignity as my hair whips around my face from the unrelenting wind. I look up and catch Nick watching me like a puppy in a pet store window. “Are you cold?” He lets go of my hand and holds open his jacket. I don’t even hesitate. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his shirt. He smells like jasmine and car exhaust. Normally, that would seem like an odd pairing, but on Nick it’s divine. I’m surprised at how easily I succumb to him. He offers to hold me and I jump in his arms. It’s so unlike me—the old me. This is a new Dani. Who knows what I’m capable of?

My smile is frozen in place, partly by the freezing wind, but mostly because I feel good. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this kind of good. I place my ear against Nick’s chest and listen to the quick rhythm of his heart—it’s beating as fast as mine. I want to remember this moment forever—the cold wind on my back, the uneven sand under my feet, the warm sensation in my chest, and the safe feeling of his arms around me. Nothing exists in the world but us. I look into Nick’s smiling eyes, they are a plethora of earth tones—light brown and yellow with hints of green. Looking at him makes my body tingle in all the right ways. He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead. The gesture is sweet, but I want more. I need more. I focus on his lips, willing them to want me.

Kiss me, I scream with my eyes. I bite my lower lip; it draws Nick’s eyes to my mouth. He brushes his hand across my cheek and I inhale as if I’m about to dive underwater. My eyelids flutter as he draws closer, my lips part, waiting to feel his mouth on mine. Then I hear the faint call of his name. The salty night air replaces Nick’s warm breath as the yelling grows louder. How was this moment suddenly ruined? I look past Nick and see Matt running up the beach towards us.

Oh no, Matt.