“Wow, you are friendly,” he says.
“I like them already!” Cozy squeals before pushing off Miles and running toward the water. She throws her arms wide with a spin, her chin tilted to the sky. “And now I get why you never wanted to leave. This place is amazing!”
“Yeah,” all three of us say in one unified sigh.
She pulls her iPhone from her pocket and records a panoramic video starting with the lake and ending with the three of us.
“So, what’s first? Do we climb the oak tree? Fish off the dock? Karaoke at Maverick’s?”
“Are you sure she’s never been here before?” Reed jokes.
“She’s my best friend. I tell her a lot, okay?”
“Don’t worry, pretty boy. All good things,” Cozy says. She stuffs her phone back in her pocket and skips over to us, tapping Reed on the shoulder at the same time Miles says, “I have an idea.”
Somewhere along the spectrum of Antarctica and the polar ice caps of Greenland registers the temperature of the Minnetonka Caves. The warmest thing Cozy and I packed for a summer beach town are a pair of crewneck sweatshirts that do very little to alleviate the chatter of our teeth. Miles leads us through adome-shaped opening much smaller than the initial one we went through. The walls feel closer somehow. Cozy follows behind him, frowning at the lack of cell service bars on her phone screen. A tour guide leads us through the cave, rattling on an impressive number of facts about stalagmites and stalactites.
With their backs to us, I feel Reed’s lips against my ear first, then his breath hot on my skin as he says, “For warmth’s sake.” He nets his fingers with mine, and a tingling blooms in the palm of my hand. “I missed you,” he adds.
I smile up at him. “I missed you too.”
With not a lot of room to move or air to breathe, I’m pressed against his side, surrounded by the scent of him—something woodsy with a hint of cinnamon.
“I was thinking this could be our summer,” he whispers. When he sweeps his thumb back and forth over my knuckle, I shiver. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
It doesn’t make sense, two opposing feelings, but I freeze as my heart speeds up.I like him. I like the way he makes me feel and the humor that we share. I like the dimple of his smile and the thoughtfulness of his actions. I like that I can be myself around him.
But at the same time, he flirts with everyone and airs on the side of arrogant sometimes.What if he hurts me?I don’t know why I feel the need to weigh a pro and con list with him when all he’s ever given me is every reason to trust that he’s the right person for me.
My attention flashes to Miles, who stares in wonder at a bunch of rocks like he’s seeing them for the first time. Then I think,Maybe what scares me is that I’ll be the one to hurt him. But Miles and I have been “just friends” for more than two summers now, and whether he’s with Lexi or not, it feels time that I let him go.
Without more thought, I agree.
Reed’s eyes drop to my lips like he wants to kiss me, but then thinks better of it. It would be our first kiss in a cave full of people.
I motion to Miles running his fingertips along the jagged edges of a stalactite as the tour guide explains their texture, then to Cozy, who scrolls her phone next to him.
“Do you think we can keep it between us for now? Just until I get the chance to tell them.”
Reed lets go of my hand before anyone else can see, and relief washes over me.
“I can do that.”
The tour lasts thirty minutes, and as we exit the limestone cave through the same formation we came in, Cozy says, “Thank goodness we’re done with that!”
“I’m sorry if it was boring,” Miles says. “I’ve always wanted to go.”
“I think that would have been cooler when we were like, ten.” Reed laughs.
It’s obvious that I’m the only one who sees the change in Miles. He’s stepping outside his comfort zone and doing things for himself. I hate that he’s apologizing for something that made him so happy.
“My first activity as a tourism influencer, and all I have to show for it are some rocks in my hair,” Cozy complains.
“I thought you said your contract didn’t start until you leave here?” I question.
“It doesn’t. But I agreed to showcase a portfolio of my work with the eDreams team before becoming the voice of their 20 European Countries in 20 Months campaign. I just wanted to have the best content I could. It’s a dream opportunity for me.”
“Well, I liked it,” I say to Miles, and he beams at me. Then I turn to Cozy. “You still have several weeks left tocapture whatever you need, but I’m sure Bear Lake will pale in comparison to where you’re headed next.”
