She hops off her bed and walks into the bathroom. When she comes back out, she has a little zip-up toiletry bag.
“There’s a bunch of jewelry in here.” She smiles, sitting it in my suitcase. “I think you’ll be able to find something in here to wear on stage.”
“Thanks, Brin.”
“Anytime.”
I fold my last dress and place it in my suitcase, clipping the suitcase's harness shut before closing it. I move my suitcase from the bed to the floor and take its place. Brinley finds the space next to me and sits down, her head resting on my shoulder.
“It’s going to be weird without you around this summer.”
I don’t remember the last time Brinley and I spent a summer apart from each other. Once Fletcher met the guys, our group quickly formed, and since I was originally the only girl, Brinley and I clicked instantly the first time we hung out at Declan’s.
Due to Declan’s demanding training schedule, it was rare for his family to leave for a holiday during the summer.
Our group always spent summers together… and now… I’m leaving.
It was only a matter of time before we were no longer able to be together during the summers, but I thought we had at least one more summer left.
“Yeah. It already feels weird.”
“You’re going to have the best time.”
“I hope so.”
“You’ll have to call us and keep us updated.”
“I promise.”
The words fade between us, and we just sit there. My eyes focus on the bathroom door, the one we helped her find at Home Depot a little while back.
“The door looks nice.”
She chuckles, “I mean, I haven’t gotten a black eye yet, so you could say it’s a pretty good door.”
“Your eye healed up nicely, though.” I try to be positive, but her head lifts off my shoulder, and she glares at me. “Too soon?”
“Maybe a little. The bruising might be gone, but it still hurts when I laugh too hard. And I’m talking a full-on belly laugh.”
“Would it be wrong of me to try and make you laugh that hard right now?”
Her head tilts to the side, “Maybe I need Declan to go put my old door in your apartment and let you get stuck in your bathroom.”
“I’m leaving for the tour tomorrow, remember? It’d just be a waste of time.” I stick my tongue out at her, but her demeanor shifts.
“Call me every day, okay? I want to hear everything.” She grabs my hand. “And when you get back, I’ll want to hear it all again.”
“Do you think I could fit you in my suitcase? Maybe they won’t even know.”
She shakes her head, wrapping her arms around me.
“This is something you need to do on your own,” she whispers. “And you’re going to kill it; I just know it.”
fifty-one
Fletcher
It’s weird to know Tate won’t be around this summer. The whole crew went to the airport to say goodbye to her. Honestly, everyone in the airport probably thought we were sending her off for years, and not just for the summer.
