“No.” I shake my head and budge up, even though the log is empty. “Not at all.”
Isaac sits down beside me, holding a can of cider. “How have you been?”
I swallow the lump lingering in my throat. “Yeah, good. How have you been?”
He rests his forearms on his knees and turns to look at me. The gleam from the fire highlights his face and showcases the curve of his jaw. “Yeah, I’ve been okay. Same old, same old.”
“Did you go to university?”
Isaac smiles. “Still there, studying biochemistry.”
“Wow.” I widen my eyes. Then I nudge his side playfully. “Always knew you were super smart.”
He laughs awkwardly. “What about you and university?”
“Biomedical science,” I say.
“Being partners in biology helped us, then?”
I smile. “Yeah. it did. But now I’ve got into it, I’m enjoying it a lot more than at school.”
Isaac hums with approval. “Nice. I’m pleased for you, Ivy. I really am.”
“You, too,” I say sincerely.
“You’re back for the summer?”
“Maybe for good,” I confess. “Still have another year of university, but I think I’ll move back home eventually.”
Isaac raises his can and clinks it against mine. “Good for you. I’ve missed seeing you around.”
My heart clenches in the softest of ways. “You have?”
“Course.” He bows his head. “We were friends for years, and then I never saw you again. That kinda hurt.”
I frown. I didn’t keep in contact with anyone when I left, only Daisy. But that’s how I wanted to move on, by ignoring this town and everyone in it until I found the courage to come back.
“Sorry.” I flash him an awkward smile. “I wasn’t really thinking when everything happened, and I knew I needed to leave?—”
His hand cups my knee to silence me. “I know. I get it. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. That was an idiotic thing to say. I’m just glad to know you’re doing okay.”
I stare down at his hand against my leg, then up to his soft and honest eyes. “It was an idiotic thing for me to not talk to you,” I admit. “But this summer I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
Isaac beams at me. “Most definitely.” He pulls his hand away. “It’ll be good to catch up and reminisce on old times.”
“Agreed. Let’s vow to have a good summer of friendships.”
I don’t miss the way his throat bobs when I finish my sentence, but he recovers quickly. “Yeah.” He leans over to peer at my drink. “You wanna grab another?”
When I glance over my shoulder, JJ and Daisy are nowhere to be seen. I freeze for a moment before turning back to Isaac. “Sure,” I say, standing from the log.
He holds his hand out in front of me. “Lead the way.”
CHAPTER 10
JJ WOODFORD
The first rule of going to a party where you only know one person is to never get too drunk. I passed successfully and woke up this morning feeling fairly decent. Finn on the other hand texted me from his room saying he feels like dog shit.
