13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
Piper
Returning to the living room after showing Asher out feels like taking a walk of shame. Moments after my earth-shattering orgasm, my brother trudged into the cabin, slamming doors and humming loudly. Asher had scrambled out of bed with a red face and a worried expression. I’d assured him Weston wouldn’t take a cheap shot at him, but I still held my breath as I walked him out.
We hadn’t even had the chance to discuss anything beyond seeing each other tonight. I swipe my hands on the shorts I’d tugged on. Is this a vacation fling? I mean, clearly, it is. But could it be more? Do I want it to be more? Yes, I do. I snap the door shut and step back inside the quaint living room. But how? He lives here with his parents, and I live in Kansas City with my mom and brother. Talk about awkwardness. Even though it feels impossible, I still want to see him after we go home.
“So….” Weston stands in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips. “What was that?”
One corner of my mouth arches upward at his big brother routine and at the memories of the first time I met Charlotte after hearing their door rattling sex in the next hotel room. “At least you came back later and didn’t have to hear anything.”
“You think?” His mouth curves upward and heat floods over me from my head to my toes.
“You didn’t hear anything, did you?” I’m going to pass out.
“No….” He chuckles and shoves a hand through his hair. “I didn’t hear anything. Thank God.” His face loses its humor. “What’s going on between the two of you?” He winces as I open my mouth. “Besides the obvious.”
My mouth snaps back shut as he blocks my easy answer. I swallow and shrug. “I’m not sure. He said….” Promise we’ll do this again. Yeah, I’m not saying that. “We didn’t get the chance to talk about what happens next. Other than he invited me to eat dinner with him tonight.”
He arches an eyebrow. “Do you think that’s a good idea? He lives here and you live three states away. The more you see him, the harder it might be to walk away.”
The thought already has my insides hollow. Should I tell Asher that I can’t see him again? I can’t. I want to see him again.
Weston reads my face as the thoughts bombard me at once. “What’re you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I sigh in exasperation. “But I’m going to see him again tonight. And then, I’ll decide.” Weston is right. I’ll keep sinking farther down into the rabbit hole if I see him again.
“Be careful.” He grasps my shoulder. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Thanks, big brother.” I give him a quick hug and step back. “I need some fresh air.” I grab my phone and walk toward the beach. The sun beats down on me, erasing the chill of the cabin’s air conditioning. Down at the oceanfront, a man is teaching a young boy to paddleboard.
Could I live here? It’s beautiful. The ocean is peaceful, with its gentle waves lapping at the sand. The temperatures aren’t that different from back home. When I get closer, I realize it isn’t Asher. From their similarities, the same movements, skin tone, and jaw and cheekbones, this must be his brother.
My heart sinks. It wasn’t until I saw his face that I knew for sure it wasn’t Asher and that I’d come down here in hopes of catching him alone to see where we stood. But he’s nowhere to be found.
When my cell phone rings, I jump. Lexie. “Hello?”
“Hey, sweets, how’s it going?”
“Good. Bad. I don’t know,” I groan as I trudge in the opposite direction as Asher’s brother. Or whom I assume is Asher’s brother. I don’t need him to hear this conversation.
“What happened? Did you have sex with the sexy SEAL? Please tell me you did.”
“I did.” And I’m not the least bit ashamed of it.
“Yes!” I don’t have to see her to know she pumped her fist into the air.
“But now, I don’t know what will happen.”
“Do you want to see him again?”
“Yes.” My heart thumps in my chest. “Yes, I do. He invited me to have dinner with him tonight, so I’ll see him later, but even after that, I want to see him again.”
“Your school is online.”
“I know.” I bend down and snatch up a shell that the ocean had shoved ashore at some point and left behind. It’s white, glossy, and about four inches wide. I run my thumb over it. “I’d miss everyone if I moved here.” I spin in a circle. “And I don’t know where I’d live. It’s not like I have a lot of money saved up. College is taking everything I had tucked away.”
Dread settles in my gut. At best, we’ll talk on the phone for a few weeks and fly to see each other once, but we realize it was only a vacation fling. And then…. It would be over. The hollowness in my stomach moves to my chest, causing it to ache. I rub above my breast. Maybe Weston is right. Maybe I shouldn’t see Asher again.
I stare up at the sky, studying the white puffy clouds. One of them looks like an elephant’s head. Beside it, the next one has the shape of a flying bird.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen. See him tonight and go from there. I think there was a reason you met him, so don’t toss it all into the trash without seeing it through. Maybe it’s fate, and he’s the love of your life.”
Once Lexie hangs up, I drop down to the sand and watch the waves, letting the crashing of the surf against the beach ease the tension in my shoulders. One breath in. Hold it for ten seconds. Exhale. In the distance, the sounds of the resort float on the wind, lulling me to relax. Causing me to unwind. See it through. Don’t push him away. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.