The Resolution of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence #6)(2)
Author: Jessica Sorensen

She wavers, slightly distracted as she shuffles through the list of songs on her iPod. ‘I was thinking about going to this frat party tonight, but I’m still on the fence.’

Seth makes a gagging face as he mock clutches his neck. ‘Frat boys. Yuck.’

‘For sure,’ she agrees, reaching for her headphones on her pillow. ‘But I need to get out of this tiny box-of-a-room for a night or I’m going to go crazy.’

‘Well, sorry, but you’re going to have to ride solo on this one,’ Seth tells her. The two of them occasionally see each other at parties and hang out, but that’s about as far as their friendship extends.

‘Bummer.’ She smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. ‘What about you, Callie? You down for a party?’

‘I’m with Seth on this one,’ I reply, feeling kind of guilty when she frowns. ‘I’m not into frat parties.’

She shrugs it off, seeming a little depressed. But once she notices me noticing her plummeting cheeriness, she forces a bright smile then puts her earbuds in. I’m not sure why, but Harper seems lonely all the time, even though she’s always surrounded by people. She keeps smiling as she moves for her bed, but I’ve given enough fake smiles in my life to recognize one when I see it.

As she flops down and gets situated to do her homework, Seth waves at her then takes me by the elbow and pulls me toward the door. ‘Let’s go get some coffee,’ he says, grabbing my hoodie from the bedpost and shoving it at me, ‘and I’ll tell you about the present I got Greyson.’

Slipping on my jacket, I follow Seth out the door and head down the hallway to the elevators.

‘So it’s a collection of things we’ve done together,’ he says as I push the bottom floor. ‘Like movies we’ve watched, music we’ve listened to and food we both agree are awesome.’

‘That might be the coolest present ever,’ I tell him as we reach the bottom floor and step out into the lounge area.

‘I know, right?’ he says as we stroll toward the door. It’s a breezy yet beautiful day to be walking beneath the crystal blue sky. Frost clings to the branches of the leafless trees that surround the building and the frozen grass makes the entire scene look like a winter wonderland.

‘So what’s new with you?’ Seth asks as we steer in the direction of the nearest coffee house, which is kitty corner to the University of Wyoming – the college we both attend. ‘It feels like ages since I’ve talked to you.’

I laugh because it’s only been like a day. ‘Not much.’

‘How’s the new job coming?’

I sigh. I got an internship writing for an online newspaper at the beginning of the semester. I love writing and everything but … ‘It’s kind of not what I was expecting,’ I tell him as we step off the grass and onto the slippery sidewalk.

‘What do you mean?’ he asks as we link arms before one of us wipes out.

I give a half shrug. ‘I just wish I could write … I don’t know, whatever I want, instead of certain things. It feels like such a job.’ I sigh. ‘That makes me sound selfish, doesn’t it? And ungrateful.’

Seth chuckles as he maneuvers us around a large ice patch in the center of the sidewalk. ‘No, it makes you sound normal. You don’t have to like a job just because it’s your job.’

I tuck my free hand into the pocket of my jacket as the wind bites at my skin. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’

‘No, not guess I’m right; I am right.’ He shoots me a conceited grin. ‘I’m always right when it comes to advice.’ He gets a thoughtful look on his face. ‘Which speaking of advice, why haven’t you talked to Kayden about moving in together? I thought we talked about that a couple of weeks ago and you were going to finally’ – he makes an air quote with his free hand – ‘“Go for it.”’

I cringe internally at the painful reminder. ‘I already told you I decided not to.’

‘I know, but I was hoping you changed your mind. I think you’re wrong about Kayden not being ready for that big of a step. And even if he isn’t ready, I still think you should know where he stands,’ he tells me as we halt at the corner of the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street. ‘You guys have been together way longer than Greyson and me, or Luke and Violet.’

‘Yeah, but the four of you all live together.’ I know I’m giving him an excuse and not the truth, but I don’t want to even think about the truth right now because it kind of hurts.

‘You want us to all get a place?’ Seth asks as we shuffle off the curb and cross the street to the quaint-looking coffeehouse that has one of the best mocha cappuccinos I’ve ever had.

I shake my head. ‘Six people under one roof is too much.’

‘Good, because I really didn’t want to,’ he says with a playful nudge in the side. ‘I just didn’t want to seem like a jerk.’

‘You’re not a jerk,’ I tell him as I jump up onto the curb. ‘You’re the bestest friend ever.’

‘You’re so right.’ He points a finger at me. ‘Just like I’m so right about needing to talk to him, see where your future lies.’ He steers us around a car pulling out of the coffee shop. ‘I love the boy to death, but he needs to start expressing how he feels more instead of always leaving you guessing.’

‘Kayden’s good to me,’ I say defensively. ‘But he’s had a lot of stuff happen to him and it makes it hard for him to trust people, I think.’

Annoyance fills Seth’s expression. ‘So have you and that’s something you both need to remember.’

‘Seth, please just drop it, okay?’ I hope he can’t read me as well as he usually does because I don’t want to talk about this.

He studies me suspiciously. ‘You’re keeping something from me,’ he says as we arrive at the coffee shop, but instead of walking in, he stops just before we reach the door and makes me stop with him. ‘Okay, Miss Callie, fess up. What aren’t you telling me?’

A stray strand of my bangs falls into my face as I try to keep my gaze averted from him, but I’ve never been a good liar and end up breaking down beneath his withering stare within seconds.

‘Okay, fine.’ I blow out a breath as I look at Seth. ‘I do know for sure that Kayden doesn’t want to live with me because I asked him at the beginning of the year.’