Finn tilts his head and grips my shoulder. “You sure?”
Concern is slashed across his face.
“Yeah.” I flash him a smile, even though I’m not one hundred percent sure myself. I’ve been here five minutes. Things might be different tomorrow.
“Okay.” He takes a step back. “You know Mum and Dad are away, right?”
“Yeah, Mum told me last week.”
Finn hums. “Got plans for today?”
“Probably unpack and go and surprise Daisy. She doesn’t know I’m home; I’ve been texting her all morning,” I say as I shove my keys into my pocket.
“Sounds fun, sis.” He ruffles my hair, and I bat his hand away. “Glad to have you back for the summer.”
“Maybe forever,” I blurt.
Finn’s eyes widen. “Forever?”
“Well, not forever. But I mean, I probably won’t go back to Chesterville, I’ll probably find somewhere closer to university because the commute was a little too long. I’m not sure of everything yet.”
His smile softens. “Good for you, Iv.”
I hike my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m gonna grab my stuff from my car.”
“I’ll help,” he says as he follows me out and carries my stuff upstairs. “Jesus, how much stuff do you own?”
I chuckle to myself as we enter my old bedroom to find it exactly the way I left it. “A lot, apparently.”
“Girls are far too much,” he mutters under his breath.
“That’s probably why you don’t have a girlfriend.”
Finn’s eyes waver for a moment before he clears his throat and recovers. He flashes me a quick smile that seems forced. “Whatever,” he grumbles. “I’m too busy for a girlfriend. It would never work.”
After unpacking mostof my belongings, I head straight to Daisy’s house.
Daisy has been my best friend since the first year of secondary school. We were paired up in music class for a project to create a Christmas song—it’s safe to say neither of us has any musical talent.
Ever since then, we’ve been inseparable. Other friends have filtered in and out of my life, but Daisy stuck. We’ve been friends for almost ten years, that’s something.
She came to visit me a couple of times over the past few years because I refused to come home, but she never complained. I think she was pleased to get out of this small town and experience a busy city.
As I approach her door, I quickly knock and stand back on the porch. It takes a few moments before I hear the door unlock. My best friend’s eyes fall on mine, and she screams.
“What the hell?”
Before I get the chance to open my mouth to say hello, she’s already pounced on me with both her arms and a leg. We almost topple backwards, but I grip onto the pillar of her house and laugh. I wrap my arms around her to hug her back.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” she repeats. “I can’t believe you’re here. Why are you here?”
My lips curve as she squeezes me to death, then eventually she pulls back to study my face with a watchful eye. “Here for the summer, possibly longer.”
Daisy’s face melts to a look of awe. Her long, thick brown hair flows over her shoulders, naturally curling at the ends, with the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen.
She can catch anyone’s attention instantly because she’s half Spanish, and her skin turns the most beautiful bronze shade in the summer.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” she huffs with a grin. “You’re so sneaky.”
