Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
“Yeah. That’s exactly what I think. But I don’t blame you. Every girl on this island has had her eyes on you from the moment you arrived. Maybe you don’t even notice because you’re glued to Bree.”
“Bree’s just a shield.”
“A shield to what?”
“I don’t want to meet anyone new and invite drama into my life this summer. So Bree is a cover in that sense.”
“Does she know she’s being used?”
“I don’t think she cares. We’re using each other. But I guess that should serve as a lesson to you—if you let a guy walk all over you, use you for meaningless sex, he will.”
I knew they’d been having sex, but this was the first time he’d said it. That burned a little.
“You’re warning me against guys like you…”
He scratched his chin. “I guess I am.”
“But James isn’t like you.”
Archie tightened his jaw. “He’s not. At least I don’t think he is.”
“Maybe I should have sex with him. Get it over with.”
He drew in his brows. “Why would you want to do that?”
“I don’t want my first time to be at BU. I don’t want that complication. The first time isn’t pleasant, from what I hear. It just seems like something I might want to get over with so I can enjoy any sexual experiences I have at school.”
“The first time isn’t pleasant for some girls…but you shouldn’t just waste it, either.”
“When was your first time?”
“It was that girl in high school I told you about who cheated on me. I was sixteen.”
“Was it special?”
“At the time, I thought it was.”
“Until she showed her true colors?”
“Yeah. I mean, the first time is easier for a guy, you know? It certainly didn’t hurt—just the opposite.” He chuckled. “After that, though, she started changing. Then when I found out she’d messed around with my friend, I went balls to the wall—started dating half the girls in school. Kind of never stopped.”
Growing anxious, I asked, “Do you think you will…stop someday?”
“Stop having sex? Never.” He laughed.
“That’s not what I meant.”
He arched a brow. “Like settle down, you mean?”
“Yeah. With one person.”
“I don’t know. That’s not something I really envision for myself.”
I swallowed. “Really…”
“Yeah. Just being honest. I don’t see myself settling down or having kids.”
“Okay.”
“That’s something you want?” he asked. “A family and all that?”
“Of course. I mean, way down the line, you know?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “That’s cool. Good for you.”
The tiny glimmer of hope that had dwelled deep in my subconscious, the same one that had been planning my wedding to Archie a decade from now, had just been destroyed.
“Are you headed down to the beach?” I asked.
Archie grimaced. “Not feeling it tonight.”
As we sat in silence for a bit, an ache remained in my chest. Was I still reeling from Archie’s cancer news? Or the fact that I’d confessed my lack of sexual history to him? Or was it something more? He’d given me the biggest reason ever not to get my hopes up. Not wanting to settle down or have kids was a dealbreaker for me. His feelings could change over time on that, but I couldn’t waste time developing feelings for someone who, as of now, intended to play the field for the rest of his life. That was a recipe for heartbreak.
Archie interrupted my thoughts. “You want to skip the beach tonight with me? Stay home and watch a movie?”
Boing! Just like that, my stupid hopes were up again. That didn’t take long. “Won’t Bree miss you?” I asked sarcastically.
“I could invite her to come over, too.”
He must have noticed the look on my face.
“I’m just kidding, Noelle.”
“Well, I had no reason to think you’d be lying.”
“I wouldn’t be able to relax with her around,” he said.
I nodded. “A movie sounds good. But where should we watch? Our parents hog the television downstairs in the living room at night.”
He flashed a devilish grin. “I got a better idea.”
“What?”
“You’ll see. Give me like half an hour.” Archie stood and abruptly left.
Butterflies swarmed in my stomach as I putzed around the room and waited for him to come back.
About twenty minutes later, he texted.
Archie: Come out to the yard.
I descended the stairs and went out back.
My eyes widened when I saw what Archie had set up on the lawn: a movie screen. A projector was hooked up to his laptop.
“How the hell did you put all this together so fast?”
“Magic.” He winked.
“Seriously…”
“The previous owners left all this equipment in the garage. How cool is that? I saw it the other day when I was in there working on one of the bikes.”
“No freaking way. This is amazing.”
He pointed to a blanket on the grass. “I brought snacks, too.”
There was a basket filled with plastic Easter eggs in pastel shades.
I laughed. “Easter eggs?”
“Those people left behind so much shit. I found two huge bags of these giant eggs. They must have had an Easter egg hunt or some shit here. So I filled them with surprises for you.”