26. Marnie
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Marnie
It’s been incredibly hard to stay focused on anything today.
Since leaving his house, I keep feeling phantom traces of Caleb all over my body, haunting me. His hands in my hair. His lips on mine. His mouth on me.
I blush at the memory. It will be forever burned in my mind and branded on my body.
Last night changed things. I keep toggling between a mixture of excitement over spending more time with him, and apprehension at getting too attached since I am still leaving at the end of summer. It just makes our time together more precious.
The clock hand inches closer to the top of the hour. Linny should be here any minute.
We’re meeting at Flo’s today to go over the wording she wants displayed on the exhibit boards talking about marine conservation. I have a stack of papers inside the folder on the table for her to read over and approve.
I tug at a loose string on my sweater as I wait.
The bell above the front door chimes and draws my attention to Linny as she waltzes in right at our agreed upon time, bright-eyed and perky, no trace of last night on her. Hair perfectly styled, makeup done, and full of energy.
I wish I could bounce back from a night out like that, though I don’t think her and Parker had the encore that Caleb and I did after leaving the club. Or maybe they did. I really don’t know what to make of their dynamic just yet.
She dodges a few patrons lingering at the door and slides into the powder blue booth across from me. The leather squeaks as she gets comfortable and sets her bag down.
It’s quiet in the diner today, save for the light sound of David Bowie flowing from the jukebox at the end of our table.
We start with a round of milkshakes—cookies and cream for me and mint chocolate chip for Linny—and get to work on proofreading everything.
Our food comes as we finish reviewing and approving all the wording, with only a few small adjustments and critiques for me to fix on Monday.
I slip the papers back into the folder and tuck them safely back into my bag.
“So . . . you and Caleb?” Linny smirks, taking a large bite of her buffalo chicken wrap.
I nearly choke on my sweet potato fry, sending myself into a coughing fit.
A few people look over at us from their tables and embarrassment crawls up the back of my neck.
“Oh . . . um . . .” I trail off, unsure how to finish that sentence.
Not because I don’t want to say it, but because I don’t know how to say it.
How to tell her I slept with one of her best friends.
I don’t even know if she will want to talk about this.
My hands wring nervously in my lap.
“I know,” she says.
“You know?”
“I know he wasn’t just giving you a ride home last night.” She laughs between bites. “I’ve been waiting for this to happen since you met. It was only a matter of time before you two stopped fighting it.”
“Oh.” My cheeks heat and I wipe my palms down my jeans to steady my pulse.
Was it that obvious to other people? I know we didn’t exactly hide anything last night since we were out in public.
Hell, everyone on the island probably knows at this point.
I just didn’t think it was noticeable before then.
“Does Parker know?”
“He was mostly oblivious to it until the bonfire,” she pauses, a solemn look spreading over her face. “Until he saw how scared you were when Caleb got injured.”
“Why didn’t either of you say anything?”
She shrugs, taking another bite of food. “It wasn’t our place to interfere. We knew you two would figure it out eventually.”
I grab another fry, taking slow, deliberate bites in case Linny decides to throw me another conversation curveball.
“While we are on the subject of two people fighting their attraction,” I begin, a boldness coming over me, the words tumbling out of my mouth to deflect attention away from me. I quirk a brow in her direction. “Anything you want to tell me about you and Parker?”
Now it’s her turn to be caught off guard.
Her eyes widen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she answers, taking an abnormally large bite of her wrap.
I plop another fry into my mouth. “Hmm, that’s interesting,” I goad, “because I’ve noticed something up with you two since game night. I saw it again last night at The Grapevine.”
Linny’s cheeks tint a dark shade of pink and I cross my arms, daring her to explain.
For a split second, she looks like she’s about to. Then she catches herself and points a finger in my direction. “No, no, no, do not change the subject to try and get out of this. We are discussing you and Caleb right now.”
My arms uncross and I take another sip of my partially melted milkshake. “Ask away.”
“Since I think of him like a brother, I’m not going to ask you for those details.” She holds her hand up like she’s trying to stop herself from even thinking about it and lets out an involuntary shudder. “But I take it last night went well?”
I dip my head in confirmation. “I stayed the night, and before I left this morning, he asked me on a date.”
Her face lights up, reminding me of Gwen when I’m sharing exciting news. “When?”
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
She sets down her wrap, wiping her hand on her napkin before looking back at me, her tone turning serious. “Can I be honest with you?”
My heartrate quickens, not sure where this is going, but I value her honesty. She just admitted that she knew there was something between us, and if she had a problem with it, I know she would’ve said something before it got to this point. “Always.”
“Caleb is a really great guy. He’s gone through a lot of shit in his life, but he’s always made the best of it.
He deserves to be happy, and more importantly, he deserves someone who will make him happy.
” Her face softens, voice growing steadier.
“I’m very protective of him. His father is the only living family he has left, and they don’t exactly have the best relationship.
Parker and I are all he has. We’re his family. ”
My heart tugs at that. Caleb hasn’t gone into details about his dad—only hinted at the strain in their relationship. I know when he’s ready, he’ll tell me.
“It’s not my business. You two are grown adults, but I care for him. Just . . . don’t break his heart, okay?”
“I won’t,” I promise.
Her hand reaches across to cover mine, giving it a light squeeze and offering a supportive smile.
The confession is genuine and I mean it with my entire heart, because I would never want anyone to hurt Caleb. Even though it’s up in the air now with where he and I go from here, I now know one thing for certain—I don’t want this summer to end.