Chapter 39 #3
Lili’s wedding is officially over. With it, I’m out of excuses to not come clean about my most recent conversation with Julian.
Charlie and Lili depart a few minutes later.
They’re not leaving the Hamptons until tomorrow—Scarlett and Crew are hosting a brunch at their house tomorrow morning.
The newlyweds are headed to a suite at the hotel, where most of the wedding party is staying as well—the shuttle for which pulls up as soon as the decorated convertible disappears down the country club’s drive.
Rory glances back as guests begin to board, blue eyes meeting mine. A charred sparkler dangles from her left hand, black and burned and close to her gold dress.
I push through the crowd toward her. “Want me to take that?”
“Sure.” She lets go as soon as our fingers brush, crossing her arms and rubbing her biceps. “I think Bash was collecting trash.”
I nod. “I’ll find him.”
“See you on board?”
I nod again, watching her turn and join the line for the shuttle.
Most people are dispersing, heading to their own cars if they’re not waiting on private transportation.
It makes it easy to find Bash and the plastic bag he’s using to collect used sparklers.
He’s distracted, talking intently with a woman, so I add Rory’s without interrupting the conversation, then climb on the full shuttle.
Collins and Rory are sitting together, Kit and an empty seat across from them. I unbutton my jacket and take the open spot.
A minute later, we begin moving.
The silence between me and Kit is noticeable. Not only because we’re a bubble of quiet, surrounded by chatter, but because the guy beside me knows me better than anyone else in the world.
If someone had asked me a few months ago who I’d call after ending up in the hospital, it’d have been him.
But Kit wasn’t the first person I thought of when Jay and I got into that accident.
I wanted to call Rory. And I would have, if I wasn’t aware she would show up to play a part and that her real job was far more important than us pretending. Or pretending to pretend.
I didn’t neglect to consider that fake dating his cousin could negatively impact my relationship with my best friend. I wanted Rory more than I worried about those possibilities. Which is … a lot.
“I overstepped.”
I glance at Kit. He’s staring out the window, not looking at me as he speaks.
“But I meant it,” he adds.
“I know,” I tell him.
It’s not only up to me, what happens with Rory. Kit thinks that she chose to date me for no reason except wanting to date me. If she still views our relationship as a favor she’s doing for me, there’s nothing substantial for me to take seriously. For me to mess up.
We arrive back at the hotel a few minutes later.
Kit and I are silently following Collins and Rory, who are recapping the wedding, across the lobby toward the elevators when I hear, “Flynn?”
I slow. Look left, schooling the grimace that wants to appear.
Cammie is standing behind the reception desk, wearing a sweater with the hotel’s logo on the sleeve.
“Cammie. Hey. Long time.”
“Yeah.” She nods in agreement. “How are you?”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “Too early to tell. You?”
A small smile appears. “Good.”
“Hey, Cammie!” Wren has disembarked the shuttle and caught up to us. She’s smiling and swinging joined hands with Sawyer. She glances between me and Cammie. Frowns. “You guys know each other?”
“Um, yeah. We …” My mouth feels like it was recently stuffed with cotton. I steal a quick look to the right, confirming Rory and Collins stopped, too, and Rory is standing here, witnessing this.
Cammie is looking like she regrets stopping me. Clearly, she had no clue I had any connection to her friend’s girlfriend.
“I didn’t realize you still worked here,” I tell her.
“Only in the summers,” she answers. “I’m in grad school. They called in reinforcements this weekend, with the wedding. And a bunch of us were getting together this weekend, with Cap in town …” Cammie nods at Sawyer.
“Cool,” is my ironically lame reply.
“How was the wedding?” The question is aimed at Sawyer and Wren, not me, so I stick my hands in my pockets and continue with Kit toward the elevators.
They join us right as the doors slide open.
Sawyer seems to be avoiding my gaze, which I take to mean he and Cammie are close enough that he knows our fling was amicable and our split messy.
Just what this shitty night needs. I shouldn’t care if Wren’s boyfriend thinks I’m worthy of her sister, but the possibility he doesn’t isn’t a pleasant one.
I say goodbye to everyone on autopilot and follow Rory inside our room. She seems as intent as I feel lost, stepping out of her heels and pulling pins from her hair. Rearranging some items in her suitcase before pulling a set of silk pajamas out.
“Mind if I use the bathroom first?” she asks between plugging in her phone to charge and sipping some water.
“I—no. Of course not.”
“Thanks.”
Rory enters the bathroom without looking at me once.
I remain where I am, staring at the shut door.