Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Fortunately, Diana struts back toward us at that moment, platinum ponytail swinging, confidence on full display. She frowns when she clocks Charlie’s expression. Then she notices the girls glaring in our direction and bursts out laughing.
“Oh my God,” Diana tells Charlie, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. “You’ve got half the women in here fuming. You snagged the two biggest catches on the team.”
I wink at her. “Aw, thanks, Di. I didn’t realize you think I’m a catch.”
She grins at me before linking her arm through Charlie’s. “Seriously, though, ignore those looks. They’re just jealous.”
As if on cue, one of the glaring girls, a tall blond in a too-tight dress, walks by us. She’s with a couple of her friends, who all exchange a glance, and as she passes, she sneers loud enough for us to hear.
“Guess some girls just can’t stand being alone, huh?”
Charlie’s face flushes red. Before any of us can say anything, Diana steps forward, arms crossed and voice ice-cold.
“Excuse me? You got something to say?” Her tone is as sharp as glass, and I see the blond girl falter, her eyes widening as Diana stares her down. Or rather, up. Diana is all of five feet, yet she’s still cutting this much taller chick down to size. “Or are you just salty because you couldn’t handle one of these guys, let alone two?”
The blond looks between Diana, Charlie, and us, her confidence wavering. “Whatever,” she mutters, rolling her eyes as she tries to play it off. “I just think it’s…desperate.”
Diana scoffs, rolling her eyes right back at her. “Desperate? Honey, it’s called knowing what you want and actually being happy. Try it sometime, maybe it’ll make you less of a Bitter Betty.”
The girl’s mouth falls open, and her friends grab her arm, tugging her away before she can respond.
Charlie looks at Diana, wide-eyed, before breaking into a smile. “Thanks for that. I wasn’t sure what to say.”
“Hey, if you’re gonna be with these two, you better be ready to ignore a lot of jealous jerks. It just comes with the territory.”
I search Charlie’s expression, looking for any sign that she’s more shaken by that exchange than she’s letting on, but she seems fine.
I am too, shockingly enough. The last time I was in a position to reveal this unusual relationship, I chickened out and introduced Charlie as Beckett’s girlfriend to Tessa Diaz. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel tonight, having so many people privy to my personal business.
But this…wasn’t bad at all.
CHAPTER FIFTY
BECKETT
That’s our girl
SPRING HAS A WAY OF MAKING EVERYTHING FEEL LIGHTER. THE SUN’S out more. The air smells fresh. And even Charlie is smiling more despite the most intense workload I’ve ever seen anyone undertake. She’s finally settled into the rhythm of us, this fucked-up, unorthodox relationship we have, and Will seems happy too. We’re all in a good place. For now.
But there’s this ticking clock. Graduation is right around the corner, and the pressure is building, the need to make decisions. Life is about to change, and I don’t know how to stop it from pulling us apart.
Tonight, Charlie is stretched out on the couch, flipping through one of her textbooks, while Will is sprawled on the floor, reviewing notes for one of his last exams. I have my laptop open on the other end of the couch from Charlie, aimlessly scrolling through job ads.
I’m not really looking for anything specific, just killing time. But my mind keeps drifting back to what’s coming after all this. The looming uncertainty that comes with graduation.
“Are you ever going to decide about that job offer?” Charlie is saying to Will, almost as if she’s been reading my mind.
“I don’t know. My original plan for after graduation was to travel around Europe for a year, but I’m not sure anymore. God knows my dad would be happy if I scrapped the traveling plan. He thinks it’s a waste of time and money.”
“Yo, Larsen, tell Charlie how you earned money last summer to save for the trip,” I say with a grin.
He rolls his eyes.
“How?” she pushes.
With a shrug, he says, “Worked as a pool boy.”
Her jaw drops. “How many?”
“How many what?”
“How many MILFs did you service?”
I howl with laughter. That’s our girl.
“Zero, you brat.” He sits up and pokes her in the ribs, then proceeds to tickle them until she’s squirming and giggling.
“You should skip Europe and go to Australia,” I tell him. “That way, I could tag along on some of your stops. Go to New Zealand maybe. There are some sick climbing spots there. And Bali’s, like, a puddle-jumper ride away.”
“That doesn’t sound entirely unappealing. I wasn’t locked on a particular location. All I wanted was to get away from here for a while. Breathe different air. Eat different food. See different people.”
“Would you come?” I ask, nudging Charlie with my foot.