Weston
“Guess we’ll just watch the fireworks alone.” I plop down in the sand next to Buddy, who’s already sitting and panting from our impromptu walk. Ineverintended for all of this to blow up in my face like this.
And the worst part?
I probably just made thingssomuch harder for Brittany, and she doesn’t even care about me in that way—not enough to risk all this drama that I just brought right to her. I run my fingers through Buddy’s fur on the back of his head, racking myself with guilt.
I should’ve left the letter at home.
But for some reason, I thought it might be cool to show her the actual thing and laugh about it or something. “Bad idea,” Imumble to myself as I stare out across the waters of the Atlantic. They’re a charming blue, and the sun is starting to set. It won’t be long, and the darkness will swallow the beach…
And then everyone will really start to celebrate.
“You walked like three miles to get here,” a gruff voice says from behind me. “I didn’t want to go for a hike, you know.”
I turn to see Parker in his preppy little get-up, rocking back on his heels in the sand. “Exercise is good for you. You could probably use it with that stone-cold heart you got there—need to keep it in good health.” The bitterness in my voice isn’t intentional, but it hits harder than I thought I felt.
“Valid point.” Parker eases down in the sand beside me, and Buddy twists his head to look at him for a second, but he gets distracted by a golden retriever running loose beside a couple of guys with frisbees.
I tug on Buddy’s leash to remind him that it’snota good idea to run off and try to play with a random set of strangers, unsure of what else to do. I eye Parker, whose eyes are focused on the clear blue waves crashing into the shoreline.
“I’m sorry,” he says, as if sensing my eyes on him. “I shouldn’t have flipped out the way I did. That’s not fair to you.”
“It’s okay.” I sigh. “I should’ve been a better friend.”
“Youarea good friend.” Parker’s eyes drop to his feet, buried in the white sand. “That’s the thing, Wes. You’vealwaysbeen such a good friend to me. I owe it to you to give you my blessing to …pursuemy sister.”
My brows raise. “Just like that? You’re good with it, now, huh?”
His lips press against each other, flatlining. “I mean, I wouldn’t say I’mgoodwith it, but I’m accepting of it, yeah. Sure.”
“Wow, okay,” I breathe out, chuckling. “That was literally the most Parker way to say that.”
My best friend lets out a chuckle, shaking his head. “If I said it any differently, you might think there was something wrong with me.”
“Well, I already think there is,” I point out, giving him a knowing look. “I mean, come on. You’re wearing a polo.”
He glances down at his Fourth of July-themed shirt and makes a face. “Yeah … You’re not wrong. I look like I could be in a patriotic Old Navy commercial.”
“You’re the one who said it.”
“And I have to say, I agree.” A light voice cuts into the conversation, and I swear my heart skips twenty beats in the time it takes for me to look up at her. “You’re dressed like a frat boy … or a fifty-year-old dad.”
“I’d lean toward the latter,” I say, catching Brittany’s eyes, and noting the way her cheeks blush a deep hue of crimson.
“All right, that’s enough, you two.” Parker huffs, pushing himself up to standing and brushing off the sand from his pants. “You can talk about your weird Shakespearian stuff together. I’m going to go find Amy.”
“Please.” Brittany waves him off, a giggle slipping from her lips.
I sit there, trying not to stare at the way her navy blue sundress clings to her hips, or the way her red-painted toes stick out in the sand.Why is everything about her so pretty?It literally makes the whole friend thing nearly impossible.
“Happy Fourth of July,” she says to me, not taking a seat beside me. Instead, she lingers above me, as if she might bolt at any minute.
“Yeah, for sure. Happy Independence Day.” I nod to Buddy. “This is my new dog.”
“He’s cute.” Brittany hums, leaning over to pet his head. His tail immediately wags like he just found the greatest person in the entire world. “I like him.” She kneels and scratches his ears,her face in his. Buddy lights up, and Itotallyunderstand what he’s doing.
I feel the same way when I see her.
