“No. I don’t think so.”
“Anyway, who are you crushing on this summer?”
Liv looks at me, chewing the inside of her lip. “Actually, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Her voice is small and shaky. Liv is never nervous.
“What is it?” I try to have a reassuring tone.
“Well… I… I think that Emily is really pretty.” She quickly looks down at her hands. I follow her gaze and see that she’s wringing the towel.Liv likes Emily?Well, now that she says it, it makes perfect sense. I’ve always wondered if Liv was attracted to girls.
“Emily is so pretty, and she’s nice,” my voice relays the excitement I feel for Liv.
“Yeah?”
“Definitely.”
“I think I have a small crush on her. I think she likes boys so it wouldn’t work out.” She sighs and then rolls onto her back, blocking the sun with her arm. She peeks under her arm at me. “Want to get in the water?”
I jump up from my towel. “Let’s go.”
***
Present Day
I wake the next morning and groan at the realization it’s Monday. All I want to do is stay in bed and not face anything this world requires of me. I also know that I’ve been away from work for a week and I have to return to Columbia tonight.
I don’t know how I am going to leave my parents… and Sam, but I’m grateful that Liv and Talia will be there for me.
Since my trip home in August, I’ve been thinking a lot about moving back to Charleston. I spent two weeks just lounging around, hiking with Ethan, and going out on our parents’ boat.
I knew I was going to break up with Philip soon, and the time away from him allowed me to think through what I wanted. But when I got back to Columbia, it took me a while to break up with him. Philip is just one less reason to stay.
I haven’t talked to anyone about this because I don’t want the outside pressure. I’ve always paved my own path and did what I felt was best. I haven’t always made the best decisions, but I’ve always owned them. And this is one of those decisions I have to make on my own.
I stretch and see Liv curled up next to Talia, all three of us sharing my queen-size bed. The thought of the three of us crammed into this bed is comical, and I can’t resist the quiet laugh that shakes my body.
Not wanting to wake them, I slowly and quietly get out of bed, grab my phone, and slip out of my room.
I make it to the kitchen and see Mom at the round table, head down on her arms.
Sitting next to her, I put my arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Ma. Can I get you some coffee and breakfast?”
She sits up and looks at me, tear stains streaking her cheeks. My gut clenches at the sight. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
“I love you, Ma,” I say before quickly kissing her cheek and getting up to start making the coffee.
“Love you, too.”
I pull out pancake mix and breakfast sausage and get to work. While I’m cooking, Dad pads into the room and sits next to Mom.
“Hey, beautiful,” I hear him say. “How long have you been awake?” I don’t turn around, opting to give them a little privacy while I busy myself with breakfast.
“I’m not sure. I got out of bed around 5:00 a.m. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“You could never disturb me, darling.” I see Dad kiss Mom’s cheek and rub her arm from the corner of my vision.
My parents have always been kind to each other. I’m sure they fought, but they never did it in front of us. I’ve always loved it when Dad calls Mom darling or when she calls him babe. They’ve been married for thirty-three years; I love that after all this time, they still clearly love each other.
Their relationship is probably the biggest reason I’ve never really gotten serious with any of the guys I’ve dated.
