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I almost tell her I’m here to get her daughter, but that daughter spins to face me, robbing me of speech.
The pain in my cheeks returns.
I can’t play it cool. Not after seventy-nine days without seeing her.
Kota’s smile doesn’t come close to the size of mine. It’s small, almost timid. Why is she being timid with me? Yeah, it’s been almost three months since we’ve seen each other, but our last interaction was us kissing. Intentionally. No one was drowning, no one was drunk. We kissed, which makes us…something. I don’t know what exactly. I intend to find out as soon as our parents are out of earshot though.
I’m just unlocking my jaw to greet Kota when another vehicle appears behind her, this one a hell of a lot taller.
What the fuck is he doing here?
Kota rotates toward the noise.
The Land Rover barely screeches to a halt before Guy’s tearing from the driver’s side.
Dropping my hands and curling them into fists, I start in that direction.
He envelops Kota in a hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around.
I watch her face carefully, looking for the okay to finally beat the shit out of this guy, but all I see is a smile. What’s really crazy is it’s bigger than the one she wore for me. She’s not upset he’s here. She’s happy. Thrilled.
“Someone missed his girlfriend,” Sera croons, an equally pleased expression on her face.
Girlfriend.
His.
She’s his. His girlfriend. His.
Fucking still.
Turning on my heel, I storm into the house, straight to the kitchen where I swipe the pan off the counter before throwing the entire thing in the garbage. Sera can afford another loaf pan.
Knife in hand, I stalk back to the foyer and start stabbing every balloon in sight.
My dad walks in when I’m halfway through.
He doesn’t ask what I’m doing or why, only says, “I’ve heard absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
The massacre halts.
“Where did you hear it?”
“A pillow. It was a saying stitched onto the front.”
The massacre resumes.
“Glad to see you finally put your eighth-grade reading comprehension to good use.”
“Is it true?” he asks.
“That’s what you’ve always said. ‘It all went downhill after middle school.’”
“Not that, boy. Did her absence make your heart grow fonder?”
“No,” squeezes between clenched teeth.
“Good. Don’t want a scandal on our hands.”
