Fall (Seaside #4)(40)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Then she’d do something so damn adorable that I couldn’t think straight.

We watched entire seasons of TV shows, ate breakfast every morning together. It was strange. I’d always thought that the day-to-day relationship stuff would end up scaring the hell out of me. Instead, it made me crave more.

Everything about being with her was exciting. Even making breakfast, even going into the bathroom and smelling her shampoo.

It wasn’t fair.

It had to end. I had to do something, because if she said Smith’s name one more time, I was going to freaking murder him.

It had been two weeks.

He texted her at night.

I hid her phone twice and lied about it.

Yes, I’d resorted to lying like a five-year-old in order to keep myself sane; I’d lied to myself about the whole thing. What we were doing wasn’t normal, nor was it fair, but I was too selfish to change a damn thing.

****

“Morning, sunshine.” I threw a pillow at Pris’s face. She groaned and sent me a glare before slowly rolling out of bed. We’d fallen asleep on the couch watching movies again, arguing about why Lord of the Rings was better than Star Wars.

I was for Star Wars.

She was for LOTR.

I called her an immature toddler.

And in return I was called a grumpy ass-hat.

Just a typical evening for us.

“Tired,” she grumbled.

“I’ll make coffee.” I whistled to myself as I walked into the kitchen. A buzzing sound interrupted my happy mood. Her phone was on the counter, and it was her dad.

Shit. He’d skin me alive if he knew what I was doing.

“Pris!” I called. “Your dad!”

She ran into the kitchen and snatched the phone out of my hands. “Hey, Dad, is everything okay?”

Her smile was enormous; she asked questions about some orphanage in the Philippines and then smiled some more as her dad chatted her up on the other side.

“Love you too,” she answered and pressed End.

“Everything okay?” I scooted her coffee across the counter and waited.

She licked her lips and looked into her coffee. “I would do anything for my parents, even though I get annoyed that they’re constantly gone or doing things for others, selfish right? I guess sometimes I just, I don’t know…I miss being a family. Getting old sucks. But yeah,” Her voice was resolute. “I’d do anything for them.”

“Sounds like it.” I smiled as jealousy stabbed me in the chest. She had the most amazing family I’d ever heard of. A family that ate every meal together, went on trips every summer, a dad who really trusted her so much that he never even had reason to question her.

It was hard not to be jealous — to crave what she had, and to be pissed at myself for tainting it.

With a sigh, she lifted the cup to her lips. “They said the orphanage is doing really well, and they’re flying back into the country to go to Seattle and see my sister, then driving back.”

“Soon.” My heart dropped.

Her eyes met mine. “Few days.”

I had a few days to play house before whatever we had was gone. I tried to keep my face emotionless, tried and failed as she reached across the counter and put her hand over mine. “I just want you to know…”

Oh great, another friend talk.

“You’re one of the best people I know… I just… I love your heart. That’s all.” With a shrug she picked up her coffee and walked back toward the shower… While I sat down and grinned smugly into my mug, maybe things would turn out after all.

I just needed to get my shit together, murder Smith, and try not to get run over by her dad’s car when I asked him for permission to date his daughter.

****

“You’re sure in a good mood.” Evan breezed into the room, threw on his jacket and snatched the keys from the counter.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.” He smiled. “It’s my half day.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not leaving you alone. Smith comes in on Wednesdays to help.”

“Oh good, maybe we can take our pants off and see whose is bigger.”

“Right.” Evan snorted. “You’d probably lose anyway.”

“What the hell, man!”

“Kidding!” He waved goodbye and walked out the door. It wasn’t but five minutes when Smith came waltzing into the place like he owned it.

Which I guess in a way he did — or his family did.

He was talking on his cell. “I can’t wait to see you either, baby.”

And good mood gone.

“No, no, it’s fine. I think it will be good to talk.” His eyes narrowed. “Listen, I told you not to worry about her, we’re just hanging out…”

My ears perked up. What the hell? Was he cheating on Pris?

“Love you too.”

Holy shit. I was seeing stars. If he was talking to Pris I was going to jump off a cliff and impale myself on the sharp rocks.

“Bye.”

He tucked the phone back in his pocket and walked around to the cash register.

“So.” I cleared my throat. “Got a few girls on the side?”

“Shit.” Smith jumped a foot. “Do you always sneak up on people like that?”

“Depends.” I closed the distance between us. “Do you always cheat?”

“I’m not cheating.” He rolled his eyes. “I like Pris, she’s been a great distraction.”

“Distraction?” Seriously. Where did they keep the effing guns in this place?

“And maybe.” He shrugged. “It could turn into more, you know? But…” His eyes went all hooded and lazy like he was high. “My ex is in town and she… she wants to talk. I love her. I’ve always loved her. You don’t just get over your first love like that.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I said crisply.

He snorted. “That’s because you’re like the tin man, you possess no heart.”

“Coming from you? That’s rich.”

“Look, GQ, I don’t know what crawled up your ass and died, but it’s my business. Who the hell cares if I date Pris while I try to see if there’s something still there with my ex? I owe it to myself to find out. Hell, I owe it to Pris to find out. It’s not fair that I’m dating her and still half in love with Ang.”

“Ang?” I repeated in a low voice. “Short for,” I coughed. “Angelica?”