Bray
“Ten more minutes,” Ava whines as I explain we need to get ready for the evening, as do the other kids.
“Fine,” I reply. “But only ten minutes.”
“Yes! Thank you!” she yells as she sprints back over to the other kids.
I pull out my phone and scroll through some apps, and then pull up the dating app. If Carly’s dating, then why shouldn’t I?
I set my app to my location and go to my matches. The first two don’t look interesting. I swipe again and freeze.
What. The. Hell?
It’s Carly. How is this even possible?
I hover over her profile, not knowing what to do. She’s on a dating app? That must be how she met this guy. I’m a little shocked that I didn’t assume this when she said she was talking to someone. Damn, am I that oblivious? I sit back on a bench and run my hand over my face.
“Wow, social media getting you down?” Kasen asks as he walks toward me. He looks like he just went for a run. He plops down on the bench next to me and stares at the phone in my hand.
“Well, shit. That’s serendipitous, isn’t it?”
“Shut up,” I mutter.
He throws his head back and laughs. “You know that you could ask anyone here and they’d all say the same thing. You two are meant for each other. Literally, you are two halves of a whole. I’ve never seen two people more in tune, other than Edith and Al.”
We’re both silent for a beat as we remember Edith. I let my head hang as I stare down at the profile pic of Carly. It’s a selfie. She looks great, but she always looks great. Her profile says, single and ready to mingle.
“I sure as fuck hope you’re going to swipe in the right direction,” Kasen says, breaking the silence.
I glance over at him. “I…do you think I should? I mean, what if it fucks everything up? What if I lose her?”
Kasen thumps me on the back. “Mate, you’re gonna lose her to another guy if you don’t. Might as well put your heart on the line. It could be the best thing that ever happened to you. I mean, shit, before Piper, I thought I’d never love anyone. I was so afraid of something bad happening. I thought I was too fucked up, and she deserved better. But I had it all wrong. Maybe you do too.”
I contemplate his words. Maybe I do, but it’s still scary as fuck.
His hand comes down on my phone screen, and he swipes right.
“Kasen! What the fuck?” I yelp.
He grins. “Just giving you the push you needed. Now, don’t fuck it up.” He stands and walks away, but turns when he’s only a few steps from me. “You’re welcome, by the way. You can thank me later.”
I glare at him, and the fucker starts laughing again as he begins jogging. Sometimes, I really want to beat the crap out of my friends.
I slide my phone back in my pocket. Ava runs over to me. “Can we hunt for the key for a few minutes?” she pleads.
Sighing, I look at my watch. “Fine, but only five minutes.”
“OK,” she says cheerily and skips down the path. “Come on. Miss Cam told me there’s like a secret library in there,” she says as she points to the main house.
Great. This will definitely be longer than five minutes.
We make our way up to the main house. I find Fletcher’s mom in a formal dining room, talking to staff. She smiles when she sees us.
“Well, hello there, Ava. Did you have fun today?”
Ava nods. “We played soccer.”
“I heard. Hi, Bray,” she says as she gives me a hug and cheek kiss.
