Page 69 of The Road to Finding Us

“Oh my god, V, are you hugging me?” Lily asks with a laugh, dropping the bags she’s holding before wrapping her arms around Veronica.

“Shut up,” Veronica says, pulling away. “I rarely give out hugs. Soak it in while you can.” Veronica’s blue eyes find mine, causing her to smile even wider. “There’s my favorite douchebag!” She steps in front of me, the toes of her combat boots brushing up against my boat shoes. The pair of shoes I packed just for her after finding out how much she hated them.

“There’s my favorite preppy goth girl,” I fire back, pulling her small body to mine.

Maverick steps out the front door and says, “Holy shit, did the two of you survive a road trip together?” Clapping his hands together in excitement, he adds, “I bet Veronica that one of you would end up in jail by the end of it.”

Veronica and I share a look. She gives me a noncommittal shrug.

“Har, har. So funny, Mav,” Lily says, reaching up to fuck with his hair before wrapping him in a hug.

“I missed you, sis,” he says to her.

“I guess the feeling is mutual,” she responds, avoiding eye contact with me.

She’s barely looked at me today. It turns out the heated moment we shared did nothing but piss her off—or confuse her—even more. We spoke minimal words during the last leg of our trip to Beaufort.

“How the hell are you?” I ask Maverick when he comes to a stop in front of me. We shake hands, pulling each other in for a bro hug.

“Doing great, man,” he answers.

I pull away and grab the bags I have piled at the side of Gladys.

“We’re happy to have you,” Veronica declares with more enthusiasm than she typically shows.

All four of us grab at least one bag, walking up the red brick sidewalk leading to their front porch.

“This is beautiful,” Lily whispers in awe, her eyes scanning over the house.

She isn’t wrong. The house has southern charm written all over it. The sidewalk paves the way to a perfectly white house. There are two columns at either side of the steps that lead up to a wraparound porch. Their front doors and shutters are painted a matte black, making the home look like it belongs on TV.

“Did you plant flowers?” I question Veronica. I never pegged her as the kind of girl to get her hands dirty.

Maverick chuckles behind me, pulling my suitcase up the stairs with him. “Veronica bought the flowers. She told me she was going to plant them. I’ll let y’all place bets on whether that happened or not.”

I bump my shoulder against a scowling Veronica. “It’s okay, V. None of us would expect that out of you.”

She uses her free hand to slap me on the stomach. “If you keep being an ass, you’ll be sleeping outside! It’s mosquito season here in the south.” She throws a pointed glare my way before opening the screen door and stepping inside.

The inside is decorated just as perfectly as the outside. There’s even an art piece in the front entryway that I’m sure Veronica painted.

The artist herself interrupts me when she points to the staircase in front of us and says, “Your rooms are both upstairs. Ours is down here, but be careful, the walls are thin.” V turns around and waggles her eyebrows at Lily, who turns a shade of pink and then stomps up the stairs.

“Stop embarrassing my sister,” Maverick scolds from behind me, his effort futile as we follow Lily up.

We all know Veronica will do whatever the hell she wants. That’s probably why he fell in love with her.

“Okay, Lily, this one is yours.” Veronica opens the first door to our left, revealing a nicely decorated guest bedroom.

Lily follows Veronica inside and throws her bag on the bed. Maverick steps around me in the hallway to enter the room, putting the rest of her bags in there as well.

“And your room is right down here,” Mav tells me when he steps out of the room, directing me two doors down on the right.

Once in there, I place my bags on the armchair in the corner of the room and take a look around. It’s odd to have friends who are so domesticated. We’re all in our mid-twenties, but it still feels weird to know Veronica and Maverick own this house. I think about the house I’m currently having renovated for myself, wishing I had somebody to share it with.

Maverick and I shoot the shit in my room as I get situated, the girls doing the same in Lily’s borrowed room down the hall.

Once we’re all settled, Veronica’s bossy voice booms through the hallway. “Get your asses downstairs. Maverick and I have news.”

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