Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 137433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 550(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 550(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Lev: Balls deep in a boring party.
I’m a little drunk and a lot unbalanced, so I snap a picture of the pool party and send it to her along with: Ever go out over there?
Bailey: Sure. Maintaining a healthy social life is a huge part of one’s mental well-being.
She is so fluent in nerd talk; it is so cute.
Lev: Yeah? You go to parties?
Bailey: Yes.
Lev: And hook up?
She types and deletes and types and deletes and types and deletes and my heart is in my mouth, clenched tight between my teeth, and I really shouldn’t have asked a question I’m not prepared to hear the answer to.
Too late now.
Bailey: Yes.
Yes. She does.
And maybe she is lying, but even if she is, that’s a clear push for me to move the fuck on and stop hanging on to this stupid, improbable hope we are ever going to be together.
I’m being unfair to both of us. I look up and suddenly realize everyone is paired up.
People porking in the pool, making out on sun lounger, holding hands, kissing, grinding. I glance at Grim. He has a fresh beer in hand, and he is tracing the sweaty, cool glass over Declan’s arm as he whispers into his ear.
I’m about to stand up and call it a night—watching others getting off is too depressing—but then my mind decides to melt into piss because suddenly I see Bailey.
She is standing with her back to me, talking to a bunch of people from the track team. I rub at my eyes, blinking away the confusion, but she is still there. Athletic legs, long sunshine hair, tiny purple bikini.
I’m hallucinating now. Perfect.
She swivels her head in slo-mo and my heart sinks. It’s some girl named Thalia who’s been on my ass about tutoring her even though we have zero classes together. It’s kind of mean to say, but I consider her a fangirl.
She catches me staring. Her eyes twinkle in surprise and she slices through the crowd, advancing my way.
Great. Now I have to be social and shit. She plops down beside me and wipes invisible dirt from my bare shoulder. Her skin feels not-awful on mine, and maybe Grim has a point.
Maybe it’s time to Band-Aid Bailey out of my system.
“Hi, Lev! What’s up?”
“All good. Thalia, right?”
“Aww, so sweet of you to remember!” She beams.
Talk about having a low bar.
My eyes dip to her cleavage. Bigger than Bailey’s. But not better. Definitely not better. “You liking the party so far?”
“Loving it! Different kind of music for sure, but I enjoy trying new things!”
Jesus fuck, she can’t finish a sentence without an exclamation point.
But she does kinda look like Bailey too. My best friend has a similar kind of sunniness, though with Thalia, it’s more glaring than warming.
“Aww, dope bracelet.” She touches the dove pendant.
I pull away instantly. “Thanks.”
“Sorry!” She bites her lip, looking mortified. “Is that…like…expensive?”
I massage the flimsy string, wondering how much to tell her—if at all—then decide it’s probably best if she knows the truth. No better chick repellent than confessing my love to another, and I’m really not in the mood for chitchat. “Me and my best friend have matching bracelets. I like to think of it as something that connects us. Like the two people who wear these pendants in this world have a speed-dial to each other’s hearts.” As I listen to myself, I start chuckling at the dorkiness of it all. “As you can see, I’m shit-faced right now.”
“How much did you have to drink?” She laughs too, and instead of filling my gut with something warm and fuzzy, I feel cold.
“Enough to drown the Titanic.”
“That friend is Bailey Followhill, right?”
I nod. I don’t think there’s one person on this planet who isn’t aware of how much I love her.
“Everyone says I look just like her,” Thalia points out.
“Don’t see it.”
“Maybe you should take a closer look.” She winks.
“My eyesight’s fine.” Damn, I’m a shitbag. I’m usually nice, but not right now. Not after Bailey just told me she hooks up with people.
The conversation comes to a halt before Thalia refuels it.
“Hey!” She lights up. “I heard Austin’s parents have a waterfall Jacuzzi.”
Subtle, she is not. It’s basically a synonym for Do you want to come on my face or in my mouth when I blow you?
For the first time in my life, I give fooling around with someone who isn’t Bailey some consideration. What am I proving by waiting here? Bailey doesn’t want me. Do I want to die a virgin?
“Yeah?” I take a slow sip of my beer. “Bet you there are people doing the nasty there as we speak.”
Thalia shakes her head, grinning from ear to ear. She produces a small key from her bikini top. “Austin gave it to me.”
My eyebrows slam together. “Why?”
“I made a bet with him.”