Page 9 of Letting it Ride

“Sometimes before.” She walks in with a shrug, her Coach tote slung over one shoulder. “What movie are we watching tonight?”

I check my purse to make sure I still have myphone and car keys. “I was thinking something old school. Arsenic and Old Lace or something. But I need to pick your mind about cruise stuff. You’ve been on one before, right?”

She nods as we walk together into the hallway. “Wow. It feels like a ghost town today,” she says, looking behind us.

We’re the only ones in the hallway. The click of Annika’s stiletto heels echoes off the cinder block walls. Usually, students would still be all over the place a few minutes after the bell, but there are no sports practices or after-school activities the day before spring break. Seems like the students couldn’t get out of here fast enough. But can you blame them?

Annika and I turn the corner to head down the stairs toward the first floor as she keeps talking. “Anyway, yes. I went on a few cruises when I was little with my parents. I’m sure they’ve changed since then, but I can give you the gist. And we can look it up online. Did you pack already?” she asks.

“I figure it’s warm, so I packed shorts and the bikinis I bought when we were at the King of Prussia Mall a couple weeks ago.” Really tiny ones, cause why not? “And I packed some workout clothes in case there’s a gym, as well as a couple of sundresses. It’s onlya four-day cruise, but I don’t know if I need to be fancy or be ready for outdoorsy stuff or what.”

Annika pushes open the heavy door that leads to the back parking lot. “That should be perfect. I remember there being some fancy restaurants on the ones we went on, but we just didn’t go to dinner there. There are usually a bunch of options, so just go where you’re comfortable.” She pauses and looks at me. “Are you sure you’re okay going alone?”

I thought I told her the whole thing, but maybe I left out a few details, like the ones I’ve been obsessing over in my head. “Oh. Right. I’m not going alone, actually. Remember my brother Maddox?”

“Yeah. Of course. Is he going?” She wrinkles her nose, thinking. “Didn’t he just get married?”

“Yes. No. I mean, no, he’s not going, because yes, he just got married. He and his wife Holly are leaving on their honeymoon tonight. But he signed up for this cruise deal a while ago with his friend and didn’t realize the dates overlapped when he booked the honeymoon. And lo and behold, you get married, your spouse wins when it comes to them versus friends. It was a deal they got where they needed two poker players, so I’m standing in for Maddox.”

We reach Annika’s car first. She pullsopen the driver’s door of the Buick sedan and tosses her bag on the passenger seat. “So, who’s going with you, then?”

I shift my purse back up on my shoulder. “He was supposed to go with his best friend, Cam. So now I’m going with Cam.” I bite my lip.

Annika narrows her eyes at me. “The one you had a crush on when you were younger?” Of course, she’d remember that tiny detail I’d failed to mention.

“Yeah.” And maybe I might still like him a little bit now, too. Oh, who am I kidding? If anything, my crush has only intensified over the years.

“He still hot?” She slides into the car.

Hotter. “I guess.” I shrug.

She pulls her sunglasses from the compartment near the rearview mirror and slides them on. “I want to see pictures. I’ll see you at your place in an hour.”

I paw through my duffel bag, double checking that I have everything I think I need. Cutoff jean shorts, check. Sundresses, check. Two itty-bitty bikinis that look damn good on me, check. Hair product, hair dryer, makeup, face cream for daytime, face cream for nighttime, sunscreen—check, check, check.

I can’t help but think about Cam while I pack.Every time I put something in the duffel, I’m subconsciously—or perhaps consciously—wondering if Cam will like it. What he’ll think when he sees me in an outfit, or what he’ll think of my eyeliner.

It’s been like this for years. Any time I know I’m going to see Cam, I overthink my decisions, consider how he’ll take something. But in the last ten-plus years, it hasn’t made any difference. I’m pretty sure I could prance in front of him naked and he wouldn’t even notice.

I’ll be pretty close to naked in these bikinis, so I guess we’ll find out.

A few butterflies flurry in my stomach just thinking about it. Maybe he’ll see me in one of these outfits and he won’t be able to help himself. All the flirting I’ve tried to do for years will finally be worth it as he steps closer to me, runs his hand up my—

The buzzer announces Annika’s arrival and brings my daydream to a screeching halt. I toss everything back in the duffel and zip it up before I buzz her in. A few minutes later, she’s at the door, pizza in hand.

“Did you get pineapple on it this time?” I ask, closing the door behind her.

“Of course.” She rolls her eyes. “I forgot one time, okay? I always get pineapple on your half.”

She tosses the box on my kitchen counter andsweeps her white-blonde hair into a messy bun while I flip the box open, our Friday night ritual down to a science. I take a slice from the half that has pineapple, leaving the pepperoni and green pepper—ew—for Annika. We settle on the couch in front of the TV, balancing the plates on our knees.

She brings her slice to her mouth while I reach between the couch cushions to find the remote. “So, do you have pictures of Cam?” she says through a mouthful of sauce and cheese.

One of the things I both love and hate about Annika is that she cuts right to the chase. “Yeah. Hang on.” I come up with the remote and hand it to her along with my plate while I hop back up to grab my phone.

I scroll through the pictures until I find one from Maddox’s wedding day and hand the phone to Annika. “Here. He’s the tall one next to Maddox. Light brown hair.”

She takes the phone from my hand, studying it with a nod. “I’d call that dark blond, but yeah. And blue eyes? Hot as fuck, especially in a tux. Are you sure you don’t still have a crush on him? Because if he’s not spoken for, feel free to give him my number.”

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