I laugh. “Surprise?”
“Come in.” She waves her hand into the house. “My parents are at work.”
When I step inside, a very fluffy, very cute golden retriever bounds towards me. My heart bursts in my chest as he nuzzles his face against my legs. “Rufus,” I beam as I drop to my knees, and he flops onto his back for belly rubs. “Oh, I missed you. Yes I have.”
Daisy stands beside me with a hand on her hip. “It’s been a while since he’s seen you.”
“Too long,” I comment. “God. He’s so cute.”
“The cutest.” She laughs softly. “And here all summer.”
Rufus stands back on his feet and barks at something in the garden before racing off.
“Let’s go upstairs,” she says, and I follow her to her bedroom.
The second I step into her room, I’m floored with memories. Thick nostalgia rushes through my veins. We’ve had lots of fun in this house, getting ready for parties, sneaking her parents’ alcohol from the cupboard, crying in her bathroom over stupid arguments, and endless sleepovers.
This place tells a tale.
“Come sit.” She pats her bed. “You need to tell me everything because I can’t believe you’re here.”
I shrug and perch beside her. “Not much to tell. I thought it’s time to come back.”
“You haven’t been here since…”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Since what happened. But it’s done; I need to move on and prove to myself that I can.”
“Of course,” she agrees before slinging an arm over my shoulder. “It’s so good to have you back. We’re going to have the best summer ever. Without a doubt. Okay?”
I smile and settle into her arms as I latch onto her wrist. “Yeah. Of course we are.”
And for once, I kind of believe it.
When I get home laterthat evening, Finn is sitting at the kitchen island with his phone in hand. “Hey,” I call out.
“Hey, did you see Daisy?”
“Sure did.” I shove my hands into my hoodie pocket as he taps away at his phone screen. “You good?”
He hums. “Yeah, my best friend from uni is almost here.”
“Oh, come to visit?”
“For the summer, yeah.” He hops off the stool and walks to the front door.
My brows dip quickly. “Oh. You didn’t tell me anyone was staying?”
“It was kind of a last-minute thing,” he shrugs and latches onto the door handle. “But he’s here now.”
I step back and watch as he walks onto the porch and throws his hand in the air. “Hey man,” he yells, and I dip between the space to see who he’s waving at.
My gaze snags on a black Polo, and I see movement of arms and legs, but no face. I follow Finn onto the porch as a guy walks towards the house, head slightly down to watch the pavement.
His head tilts upwards beneath his hood, and all the air in my lungs evaporates. I think I might be choking—no, scratch that, I think I might be having a stroke.
My knees buckle, and I’m seconds from hitting the deck.
Panic crawls through my sternum, but I tell myself to keep it together because my brother cannot see my reaction. He can’t see me freaking out because the guy coming to stay with us for the summer is my brother’s best friend—the guy I had a one-night stand with five fucking days ago.
