“I mean here, in Olivia Cove. Do you live here?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been here since college,” I explain. “My gran lives down here, and Mom and I moved right after graduation.”
“Ah, no wonder your photos always made you look like you lived in paradise.”
His words momentarily confuse me before understanding dawns. “My photos? As in the photos I post to social media?”
A deep blush spreads across Felix’s cheeks, and he bites his lip, looking guilty and all kinds of adorable. Holy shit. Has Felix DeLuca been keeping tabs on me?
“Wait a second,” he says, ignoring my question. “You called me Felix. You never called me Felix before. It was always Lex.”
This time, I blush, remembering that Daddy John called him Felix. Thinking of that moment also brings forth cute images of Felix curled up with that dragon stuffie as he napped. Myface heats even more, so I begin walking down the beach in the direction he was originally going. He easily falls into step next to me as if we met up on purpose, and it’s just that natural for us to take a casual stroll by the ocean.
“It’s your name, isn’t it?” I reply softly.
He giggles, the sweet sound almost causing me to stumble in the sand. First, the wide smile, and then the nice greeting. Now, he’s giggling, of all things? What the hell is going on? Isn’t he nervous about seeing me?
“Well, yes. But I just assumed you called me Lex, like the others. God, I always hated that name.”
My head jerks toward him. “You did? Then why the hell did everyone call you Lex?” As soon as the words leave my lips, I get the feeling I’m not going to like the answer.
Felix shrugs a slim shoulder and readjusts the backpack he’s wearing. The backpack was originally what caught my attention when I was jogging. I spotted the cute little brown fox-like creature in the design. Then I realized I recognized the styled, dark brown hair. The same mop of hair I saw last night at Dark Satin. But when Felix bent down to pick up a shell, giving me this tempting view of his round little bubble butt, I was done for. The beach was the last place I expected to run into him again.
“It’s stupid. I’m not even entirely sure why it was my nickname. Donny used to call meLex Luthorwhen we were sophomores. I guess the name just stuck.”
“That bastard,” I blurt. That uncomfortable sensation of guilt swirls in my stomach. “It’s not like you were bald back then. Why the hell would he call youLex Luthor?”
Another bout of laughter tumbles from his lips. God help me. I could get used to that sound.
“I always used to joke that it’s because I was so smart. It was the only thing I could come up with. I mean, I don’t think he was actually that stupid that he thought it was my name. Then again…” he trails off with a playful lilt to his voice.
Barking out a laugh of my own, I glance at him. “You always surprise me, Felix.”
His smile grows.
“It’s true. Some asshole calls you by some random name, and you find a perfectly good excuse to own that nickname. You were always so much better than them.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he replies, right as his stomach lets out this ungodly growl.
My lips twitch. “Hungry?”
“Starving. I haven’t eaten today.” He looks down shyly. “I was making my way toward the pier, hoping to check out the different restaurants or food stands. I just didn’t realize it would take me that long to walk over there. I kept getting distracted.”
Without thinking, my hand falls to the small of his back, and my Daddy instincts take over as soon as I hear a second growl from his stomach. Seems like the boy really is starving. “Come on, let me show you the best places with the best food.” I guide him in the direction of the pier. “You really shouldn’t go so long without eating. Let’s get some delicious food in you.”
Felix’s brows fly up. “You’re going to feed me?”
I clear my throat. “Well, I mean—I would like to join you if that’s okay. Unless you’re meeting someone here?” I say, fishing for answers. Fuck. Please don’t let him be meeting someone here. I’m not sure why fate led me to encounter him during my jog, but I believe it’s a sign. It’s the universe giving me that little shove. It’s finally time for me to apologize to this beautiful boy who was treated unfairly.
He pauses, and I turn to face him. “I’d really like it if you joined me.” Felix presses his thumb to my brow and smooths out the furrow. “But why do you look so serious all of a sudden?”
I let out a deep breath and decide to rip off the Band-Aid. I launch into my well-practiced speech that I’ve perfected over the years. Only it comes out in a mess of words and isn’t anything like I planned. I’m nervous as hell, and anyone walking by would be able to tell.
Saying sorry is a lot harder than I ever could have realized. I practically vibrate as I talk, and I’ve never felt so vulnerable before. The words come out in a rush as I try to navigate what to say first, why I’m sorry, and how I felt like I was betrayinghim in high school. How I’ve always planned on finding him and apologizing in person. Felix listens quietly, and the only reason I know he’s understanding what I’m saying is by the way his eyes grow wider and wider as I spew out my apologies. When one particularly long sentence leaves me breathless, Felix grabs my hand, and I snap my mouth shut as he guides me to a nearby stone bench in the sand.
Luckily, the spot is shaded and doesn’t burn when we sit on it. Felix places his backpack in his lap and unzips it, fishing out two bottles of water. He hands me one. I open it and take a long swig until the whole bottle is almost drained.
We sit there for a long moment, the ocean waves crashing further down the beach. It isn’t until I finish the remaining water that I notice we’ve been silent the whole time. “Thanks,” I say, feeling a little sheepish for word vomiting all over him.
