My stomach drops and I glance at Eliana quickly but she’s already looking down, focusing way too hard on her camera with a tight smile.
Something is wrong, I can feel it in my gut.
“Got it, Coach,” Colton says.
Gabriel nods. “Let’s get to work.”
The group breaks apart and Gabriel heads straight for Eliana, resting a hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her. She turns toward him slightly, wiping at her eyes quickly, and my chest tightens seeing my best friend upset.
“It’s Fin’s parents,” Colton says quietly behind me.
I turn. “What?”
“They’re not doing well,” he says. “Fin told me he doesn’t think they’ll make it to the wedding.”
The words hit hard and I look back at Eliana, but she’s already setting up equipment, slipping into work mode like it’s her only shield. I know how much she’s been looking forward to having Griffin’s parents come to their wedding in a few months. They both jumped through a ton of hoops to get it approved by the care home, so I can only imagine how hard this must be on them.
“So,” Colton says, crouching beside his board as he begins waxing it. “How’d your take with Zale go?”
I grab my board, dropping it to the sand and kneeling across from him.
“He’s not exactly thrilled about the idea of you and I dating,” I mutter, dragging the wax across the pale green surface a little harder than necessary.
“Shocking.”
I hesitate before I tell him more. “I think he tried to kiss me.”
Colton’s hand stops and he slowly looks up. “Tried,” he repeats, “or did?”
There’s an edge to his tone that I’ve never heard before and it sends a chill up my spine.
“Tried,” I say quickly. “Eliana showed up before anything happened.”
His jaw tightens as he looks past me directly at Zale. “I should knock him out.”
“What?” I whisper, eyes widening. “Why would you do that?”
“Because he just tried to kiss my girl.”
My breath catches and my heart races wildly in my chest.
My girl.
“It’s fake,” I remind him, a little breathless. “You know that we’re only fake dating, Colton.”
“Yeah,” he says, standing. “I know that, but he doesn’t. If we want this relationship to look real to him, I should play the part of an angry boyfriend, Kairi.”
I quickly stand and grab his arm before he can go too far. “Okay, how about giving him a little warning instead of knocking him out?”
He looks down at me, expression softening for a moment before hardening again. “Fine,” he says. “A warning.”
I release him and watch as he walks up to Zale, but to my absolute horror hiswarningis delivered in the form of a punch straight to Zale’s stomach.
My heart leaps into my throat as he doubles over and Colton immediately grabs him, pulling him into what looks like a rough hug, masking it with a few firm pats on the back just as Gabriel glances at them. Zale coughs while Colton leans in and murmurs something in his ear before letting him go with a shove and walking back to me like nothing happened.
“What part of awarningdid you not understand?” I hiss.
“Thatwasa warning.”
