Her eyes sparkle, and she gives me that teasing smile, the one that used to make my stomach turn. "Fine. But you owe me."
"Big time," I say, and we walk down toward the sea hand in hand. She looks up at me and grins, like she’s exactly where she wants to be.
And for a moment, I believe it. I believe we’re good. Because the truth is, I’ve been worried.
Really fucking worried.
Worried that something between us has shifted too far. That something cracked in the foundation and maybe I didn’t notice it in time.
Worried about the way I felt after that stupid night at the fair with Gio. How free I felt. How… alive.
And it scared the hell out of me.
What if I’m chasing the wrong things in the wrong places? What if I’m sabotaging everything good just because I can’t make sense of my own head?
But now, walking next to Sophia, watching her squeeze my hand and laugh, relief washes over me. It was just a moment.
A little storm in my brain. A little crisis. Butthisis real. This makes sense. Everything is going to be okay.
…
The sun has just set, but the light still lingers. The sky is deep blue, streaked with soft pink and hints of orange.
We’re deep in the water. Far enough that we can barely touch the bottom. Sophia has her arms around my neck, her fingers tangled in my hair. She plays with it, twirling a few strands, while I look at her face. "You still do that thing," I say.
She raises an eyebrow. "What thing?"
"With your nose. When you’re trying not to laugh. It kind of crinkles."
She laughs. "I do not," she says, splashing water at me.
"You totally do."
"Okay, maybe I do. But you bite your lip a lot when you’re nervous."
"No, I don’t."
"You are right now," she says, grinning.
I don’t even realize it.
"You know," she says, brushing her wet hair over one shoulder, "my brother keeps asking about you."
I look at her, surprised. "He does?"
"Yeah. I think he misses having someone to gang up on me with."
I laugh. "Tell him I’m still on his side. Always."
"Traitor," she mutters, flicking water at me.
And then it hits me. "Shit," I say.
"What?"
"I was supposed to remindmybrother to stop by the grocery store on his way home." I run a hand through my wet hair. "He asked me to help with dinner tonight, and I forgot to tell him to get tomatoes."
She laughs. "Very dramatic emergency."
