Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
And of course, I keep talking.
“Beau’s all bravado and shit, thinking he’s an upstanding gentleman like usual, thinking he’s got it under control. And he’s being all polite, trying to reason with the guy like he’s in a goddamn courtroom. But the dude just points to the girl…the one in the black dress… and says, Oh yeah? This is her. My wife.”
Avery gasps before bursting into laughter, clutching her stomach.
“We’ve never gotten out of somewhere so fucking fast,” I add through a chuckle, running a hand through my sandy hair. “Mav threw a drink in the dude’s face just to buy us some time, and we hightailed it out of there like Usain Bolt. I swear, Beau went to Mass for like three weeks straight, hoping to cleanse his soul or some shit, but the fact that he got shanghaied into helping someone cheat still haunts him.”
“He’s such a do-gooder, I swear.” Avery rolls her eyes. “And that bitch Bethany and the sad excuse you guys had as a friend in Seth McKenzie can go straight to hell.”
Crazy to think that, back then, the tragic breakup between Beau and his high school sweetheart—aka total cheating bitch—Bethany was such a big deal. No doubt, it was a true mindfuck that Beau’s girlfriend was down-low fucking Seth McKenzie, a guy that had been in our friend group since we were kids. It had felt like the end of the world back then. But in hindsight? It pales in comparison to what Avery and I are facing now.
Unexpectedly, a sob bubbles up from her chest and startles me. “Beau’s stupid and perfect and such a good brother, and I’m never going to see him again,” she wails.
“Hey,” I comfort, scooting over to her and pulling her under my arm.
I lay us back in the sand and pull her into my side, rubbing at her long brown hair with the hand behind her back. I know the Avery of a day ago would be complaining about the sand in her hair or that the way I’m holding her is twisting her expensive bathing suit, but this one is still too busy grappling with shock. I’m hoping the heat of my body against hers will be grounding—that she’ll snap out of the haze and yell at me for hugging her without her permission or tell me she’s way out of my league.
It’s a weird wish, but at the same time, it’d be confirmation that she’s okay.
“Shh. It’s going to be all right. I’m sure they’re looking for us by now, and they all knew our destination and our flight path and everything. They’ll find us in no time.”
“Are you sure?”
I have no idea if it’s true.
But for her? I’ll believe it until my last breath.
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
She nods into my chest, and I pull her closer, smelling the remnants of her perfume or shampoo or something that still clings to her hair. It smells like roses.
“Come on. Let’s go to bed. Get some rest. Everything will feel better in the morning after we’ve had a chance to recharge and reset.”
“I don’t know if I can sleep out here in the open like this.”
“I built us a shelter.”
“You did?” she asks, her voice going up in unconcealed shock. Obviously, the silent time she spent by the fire while I was working was spent largely disassociating entirely.
“Yeah. Come on.”
Slowly and carefully, I help her to her feet, dusting the sand off myself and offering a hand for her to lead the way. She grabs her sweater from its spot beside the fire and shakes it out before slipping it on, and she then walks woodenly toward the palm tent I made. I follow behind, rubbing at my arms to ward off the growing chill since my clothes are still a little damp, and wait for her to climb inside before doing the same.
It’s a tight space, but that’s a boon as our body heat fills it quickly. We lie down on our backs, our eyes pointed to the fronds above us, and bask in silence. There’s the soft lull of the waves lapping at the beach and a keening cry from some kind of bird, but other than that, I can’t hear anything—not even Avery’s breath.
I chance a look toward her, finding silent tears cascading down her cheeks in rapid repetition. My chest squeezes at the sight of the most confident girl in the world at her literal rock bottom. “Hey. It’s okay, Ave.”
She nods, but the movement is jerky as she fights herself to find her bravado. “I know. I… Thank you for making this. My mind just won’t stop racing.”
I hum thoughtfully. “Do you think it would help to cuddle?” I ask, adding, “Respectfully, of course.”
Surprisingly, she doesn’t even pause for a beat before scooting to my space, burrowing her body into mine just like it was by the fire a few minutes ago. I stroke the strands of her hair, both for her and for me.