Chapter 2
Astrid
The car crawled through downtown traffic, skyscrapers looming overhead. Every traffic light stayed stubbornly red. Eventually, the congestion began to thin, buildings shrinking away until they were just tiny blocks on the horizon. Ahead, the road opened wide, sunlight washing over the windshield.
I rolled down the window, resting my elbow on the ledge.
The wind teased my bun, pulling out loose strands around my face.
Summer was almost here, I could feel it in the air, the kind of warmth that dragged memories along with it: ice cream cones on sidewalks, sunburned noses, and summer afternoons spent doing nothing at all.
It was oddly calming.
“Azzie, I know seeing her wasn’t what you wanted, but don’t let her ruin your mood,” Kelly said.
“I’m fine, Kel.” I shot her a quick smile. Lucy had become like a stubborn pebble stuck in my shoe, annoying and impossible to ignore.
The first time Lucy came to my house, a day after Dad's funeral, I thought she was there to offer condolences. For a moment, I hoped she felt guilty about what her husband had done. Instead, she asked me to visit him in prison, claiming he was losing his mind, and wanted my forgiveness. She didn’t even pretend to be sorry.
Rage flared through me. She had the nerve to paint him as the victim.
I pushed the thoughts away.
“Want me to take over?” I asked Kelly. “You've been at it for three hours. You need a break.”
“Sorry, Astrid Sanders, but letting you drive is like handing the controls to someone whose only driving experience is Mario Kart, and somehow you're still worse.” She flashed me an overly sweet grin before shifting her attention back to the road.
Ever since I'd lightly tapped a car in the college parking lot, she'd made it her life's mission to remind me I drove like a cartoon plumber.
“Well, that felt unnecessary.” I turned on the music, skipping past tracks until the familiar Welcome to the Hotel California drifted through the speakers.
Kelly raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Are we sixty-five?”
I turned the volume up a bit higher. “Gotta appreciate a song that knows exactly where we are.”
A roadside sign flashed past: Sunset Drive-In Diner. “Kel, maybe we should take a break before your butt permanently fuses to the driver's seat.”
“Why don’t you just admit you’re starving instead of dragging my poor butt into it?” she complained, even as she pulled into the parking lot.
We climbed out of the car.
“Because then you'd call me a glutton, which I'm clearly not. That title still belongs to you.” I grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders.
We walked inside and slid into an empty booth near the front window. A waiter appeared, handing me a menu, and leaning in with a smile that screamed either excellent customer service or can I get your number?
Kelly cleared her throat lightly, then louder, a not-so-subtle cue: Please acknowledge that this waiter is flirting with you, so I can openly mock you.
I ordered French fries and a cheeseburger, biting back a smile as I handed him the menu.
He took it, holding my gaze a moment too long before flashing another slow smile and heading off.
Kelly didn't even let him fully disappear before leaning dramatically across the table.
“If he keeps staring at you instead of watching where he's going, he’s definitely going to trip over something.”
“Stop it,” I muttered, struggling to keep a straight face. “We’re not doing this.”
“We’re doing this absolutely,” she shot back, eyes sparkling as she propped her chin in her hand. “College rules still stand. Whoever gets flirted with the most buys the dessert.”
“Hard pass,” I said firmly.
“Fine,” she sighed, “But when you bite into a sandwich full of marshmallows, don’t come crying to me.”
“God, please no,” I groaned with an exaggerated shudder. “I hate those fluffy bombs.” Even imagining biting into one makes my teeth hurt.
Kelly tapped a finger thoughtfully against her chin. “Come to think of it, he might make decent boyfriend material. He’s got those longing eyes working for him. Better than Shawn, at least.”
I dragged a hand down my face. “Could we please leave Shawn out of this?”
How Kelly had managed to spot longing eyes in a two-second interaction was completely beyond me.
“Impossible. Shawn’s been my primary source of entertainment since college.
” Kelly cleared her throat dramatically.
“Astrid,” she began, perfectly capturing Shawn’s uptight voice, a voice I’d genuinely forgotten existed.
“Have you tracked your study hours? Astrid, keep a spreadsheet for expenses. Astrid, studying is directly proportional to profits. The more hours you study, the bigger your future earnings.”
I burst into laughter. “You nailed it.”
My relationship with Shawn had lasted barely a month, though honestly, even calling it a relationship felt generous.
I'd been struggling with my finance class, and Shawn was the nerdy genius conveniently sitting nearby.
Out of sheer desperation, I'd asked him for help, convinced I'd fail otherwise.
Absolutely no sparks flew, just numbers.
Endless, painfully boring numbers. The tipping point came when he suggested cutting our lunch breaks to maximize productivity.
That was exactly when I knew it was time to subtract him permanently from my life.
The waiter returned, placing our plates in front of us before sliding an extra drink my way, a tall glass filled with something pink, fizzy, and crowned with a tiny umbrella.
“This one's on the house,” he said with a quick wink.
His gaze lingered on me a beat too long, long enough to erase any doubt that he was flirting before he walked away.
Kelly froze, her fork paused halfway to her mouth. “It’s on,” she whispered, her tone dripping with satisfaction.
“He’s probably being nice,” I said.
“Uh-huh. And I’m the Queen of England. Face it, you’re paying for dessert.”
By the time we paid the bill, dessert included, thanks to me, Kelly had teased me so mercilessly I considered leaving an extra tip just to shut her up.
The waiter’s hopeful look practically begged for my number. I offered him a polite smile instead, ducked my head like a D-list celebrity dodging paparazzi, and quickly escaped out the door.