34. Piper
Piper
T he only break I take from working on my line Saturday and Sunday is to say goodbye to Frankie.
After reconnecting with her, I have to choke back tears when she leaves.
I hope she’ll come back soon. Even if she doesn’t, I don’t think we’ll lose touch again.
This weekend has shown me that family is more than I’ve let it be.
Family has nothing to do with who Mom is married to and everything to do with who has my back when I need them most.
I fall asleep before Archie comes home from dropping off Frankie at the airport.
The next morning, I’m greeted with noise and the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen.
I smile, knowing it’s Monday, Archie’s in the kitchen, and he’s not going anywhere.
That’s enough to get me out of bed, even though I hate the idea of going back to Valente.
When I come downstairs, Archie’s in his board shorts and “Surf City” apron. No shirt. No shoes.
Just right.
“Hi,” I say.
His face lights up, and he hands me a mug. “Mornin’. I made you coffee.”
“Thank you.” I breathe in the rich aroma of arabica beans and Archie.
“You want a smoothie, too?” He smiles down at me, and I realize this is the first time we’ve been alone since Frankie showed up on Friday. There’s nothing to stop us from kissing, except our own silly rules.
Archie’s rules, to be specific.
“A smoothie sounds amazing now that our prank war is over.” I lick my lips and inch close enough that my coffee cup creates the only distance between us. Judging by the look on his face, he’s ready to toss aside my cup, along with any reservations about spending the rest of the day kissing me.
“Quit trying to tempt me, you little menace. Rules are rules. You’ll be grateful I held the line.” Archie slides the mug from my hands, but instead of tossing it, he takes a sip and steps around me. “And the smoothie prank was yours.”
I roll my eyes and steal my coffee back. “Yeah, but leaving smoothie messes behind was yours.”
His eyes dart to my face. “That…wasn’t a prank.”
“Oh.” I bite my lip. “Then I apologize for retaliating like it was, but to be fair, the messes you left behind could have been a war zone.”
“Fair.” He turns me around and guides me out of the kitchen. “Now get going. I’ve got a smoothie to make—and to clean up properly—and you need to get ready to burn Valente down.”
“Deal.”
I dash upstairs, smiling the whole way to my room, and get ready faster than I ever have just so I can spend more time with Archie. When I come back downstairs, he has a smoothie ready for me.
“Should I drive you or walk you to the bus stop?” he says as he hands me the metal cup with a lid and straw.
Now that Julia won’t be on the bus, I really want Archie to drive me. But he’s taken off the apron, and I’ve boarded the struggle bus, trying to keep my eyes on his face instead of his chest. So, the actual bus seems like my safest option.
“Let’s walk.” I sling my bag over my shoulder and head for the front door.
Archie grabs a sweatshirt and, disappointingly, puts it on as we walk out the door.
“A hoodie, but no shoes?” I ask as he closes the door behind us.
“I haven’t caught you staring at my feet.” He raises an accusing eyebrow.
I take a sip of my smoothie. “Let me guess. You don’t intentionally go shirtless? It’s an accident; like your messes in the kitchen?”
“Exactly. So, stop retaliating by objectifying me.”
“Hmm… How about the girls in your fan club? Should they quit objectifying you, too?”
Archie laughs. Our shoulders brush, then our fingers, and he hooks his pinkie around mine. We stay like this all the way to the bus stop, and I avoid asking him too many questions about his plans. Our plans. We’ll talk after work, because he’s not going back to Australia.
The day passes in slow motion. Now that I know what Valente has done to me, Anna, Julia, and who knows how many other people, all I can focus on is beating them at their own game. The boring tasks I’m assigned today are pure torture.
By the end of the day, I’m ready to climb out of my skin to escape the pent-up energy that’s built up all day. The bus ride only adds to the day’s torture, and I wish I would have called Archie to pick me up. I’m at the door ready to jump out before the bus rolls to a stop, and I run-walk home.
I burst through the front door and call Archie’s name.
Then I see the packed suitcases and stacked boxes in the foyer.