Chapter 7
seven
JULIAN
I never believed in fate until it brought Camilla back to Willow’s Cove. After spending six years thinking of her every single day, it felt like I’d finally gotten a break from the universe when we were put under the same roof for a week. The question I kept asking myself was, did I want to be selfish by trying to undo the past, or let her go for good? It drilled into me as I let out my pent up frustration on the wooden boards I was nailing to the porch so Mila wouldn’t fall through. It was almost sunrise, but I’d been at it for nearly two hours. Four years in the Air Force left me no choice but to be an early riser.
“Good morning.” I stole a glance when her soft voice came from above. I didn’t know what mesmerized me more, the view of the sun greeting the day over the horizon, or the way she shined under the early morning rays. Her honey-colored hair was pulled into a messy bun, but stray strands framed her bare face. It ceased to amaze me how she got even more goddamn beautiful in our time apart. I couldn’t help but feel resentful towards whoever got to watch her become the person standing in front of me.
“You’re up early again,” I went back to hammering the floorboards so I wouldn’t stare at her.
“You know I never miss a sunrise.”
I smiled. “I’m glad the city didn’t change you too much, Mila.” I second-guessed if she’d heard me while she soaked up the view. Anytime she was by the ocean, nothing else existed, not even me. It was a nice reminder that part of her was still there.
Her gentle smile bathed me in warmth. “You’re still the only one who ever called me that.” I couldn’t help but be smug that the nickname I gave her was still mine . I barely missed my fingers with the hammer from being too distracted by her.
“Can I help?” she asked. I was nearly finished, but I craved her closeness after going without it for so long. “Sure. Can you lay the boards down while I hammer the nails in?”
My breath hitched in my throat when her fingers grazed mine, and I was pleased to see she had the same reaction. “No more green nail polish?” I had to push out the memory of her sage green nails grazing my skin while we laid under the stars.
“Not since my freshman year of college,” she said.
“What else has changed since I last saw you?” I guessed distance was good for one thing; it meant I could learn her all over again.
She sighed. “What do you want to know?” Everything .
“What’s your new favorite book?” She sank to the floor and let a smile spread across her face. “It’s still the same. You probably don’t remember?—”
“ Persuasion by Jane Austen.” My quickness to answer made her lips part in shock, but how could I forget after spending most of our summer before junior year watching in awe as she read pages of it to me?
She spoke in a daze. “Yeah, that’s the one.” She might’ve changed a few things about herself, but when I stared deep into her blue eyes, she was Mila. Mila, the girl I could always find by the ocean, whose face resembled sunlight, especially when she talked about books.
“What about you, Julian?” Considering I’d been in love with the same girl since high school and I still lived in my hometown, nothing had changed. “I’m still me.”
Her green-flecked eyes held a glint of tenderness as they clung to me. “I can see that.” I cleared my throat and distracted myself from the urge to reach out and touch her. After all, I had to follow the rules.
“Speaking of books, are you writing anything new?”
She stiffened at the question. “I’m supposed to pitch an idea when I get back to New York, but I come up blank every time I sit down to write.” I was transported back to her childhood room, where I watched her with the same look of defeat when she talked about wanting to be a writer someday.
“I could help.” I’m not sure what possessed me to say it, since there was no way in hell I was qualified to help write a book.Her brows flickered. “How?”
Think of something quickly. “How about a proposition? You help me with the last few touches around here, and I’ll figure out how to inspire you to write.” I was fully capable of finishing on my own, having nearly rebuilt the entire house with my bare hands, but for the next week, I wanted her as close as possible.
“I don’t know how much help I’d be.” I found it funny how she still didn’t know letting me breathe the same air as her was more than enough. “Well, for starters, I need some serious help picking out furniture. I could also use an extra hand to paint the outside.”
I watched her lips purse, and I realized how much I missed brushing mine against them. When she left town, people said everyone was bound to forget about their first love, but I said fuck that. Everything about Camilla Vega stayed with me like salt stays with the sea—the warmth of her touch, the serene sound of her voice, the brightness of her blue eyes, and her goddamn smile that turned me into putty in her hands.
“Okay, you got a deal.” My skin tingled when it grazed hers for a handshake, and without thinking, I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. We both froze when she cradled her face in my hand as it rested on her cheek. “Shit, that broke your rule. Sorry, I guess it’s a force of habit.” Her nervous laughter reminded me of our early days, when everything I did made her jumpy. “It’s okay. I know the feeling.”
All I wanted to do was press my lips against hers and fix everything that went wrong with us, but not everything was that easy. “Mila—” The sound of a car pulling up the dirt driveway made her turn away. Sofia.
“Time to shop, Cami!” I loved my little sister, but at that moment, I wished for her to trip in her four-inch heels and fall flat on her face. I noticed a familiar face following behind, but she stayed further back, as if she was nervous to approach.
“Taylor?” Mila froze when her former best friend came into view. Despite her friendship with Sofia, I’d only talked to Taylor a handful of times throughout the years, and I only ever asked about Camilla. Her answer was always the same: they hadn’t spoken since she left town. “Hey, Cami,” Taylor was the one to close the large gap between them and bring her in for a tight hug I could tell would last a while.
I shot Sofia a look and inched inside the house. “We’ll let you guys get caught up. Julian is gonna get me a drink before we go.”
“We’re not kids anymore, Sof. Get your own shit,” I grumbled as we entered the kitchen. She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “I don’t want a drink. I just needed you alone to ask what your plan is with Cami?”
“What do you mean?” I avoided her death stare by reaching into the fridge.
“She’s staying for an entire week, which should buy you some time to win her back.” I shot her a twisted expression. “I’ll ask again, what the hell do you mean?”
She buried her head in her hands. “You can be so dense sometimes.” She was the younger sibling, but somehow, she was always the one giving me lectures. “Julian, in the six years you’ve moped around for her, you didn’t think of a plan in case she ever popped back up?”
My jaw tightened. “Of course I did, but she’s going back to New York after your wedding, Sof. What can I do?” I knew what I wanted to do.
She inched closer before letting out a heavy breath. “How about you start by telling her the truth about what happened six years ago?”
I walked over to the window to watch Mila as she talked with Taylor. I’d wanted to do that since the moment she left town, and then again when I saw her in the bookstore, but after so much time, I wondered if it even mattered anymore. “Then what? Not everyone can fall in love and ride off into the goddamn sunset like you, Sofia.” I’d only spoken to her that way a handful of times in our entire lives, and I always felt bad immediately after. There was so much she didn’t know. Camilla occupied my every thought for six years, but the solution wasn’t as simple as telling her the truth. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“Please, like you can hurt my feelings.” My laughter paused when she moved closer and grasped my hand. “She’s only here for a week, J. You can let her go back to her life in New York, or spend the rest of yours wishing you fought for her. You’ll be the only person to blame if you make the same mistake twice.” She whipped her hair around and walked out, leaving me with my running thoughts. The only thing I hated more than Sofia’s prying was when she was right.