Page 5 of The Throwback

“Anyway, they brushed it off and told me Jett’s parents probably just got too busy to keep up with the property, and I had to leave it at that. I was only thirteen years old, so it’s not like I could do much else.”

The timer on my phone sounds, letting me know it’s time to remove the mask. I cleanse and tone her skin, gently massaging as her tense facial muscles loosen under my fingertips.

“Did you ever look him up after that?” she says, trying not to move as I work.

“I wasn’t allowed to have social media until I was fifteen, so years had passed before I even could. Once I finally had it, I searched forJett James in Georgia, hoping he’d pop up. It was the only personal detail I had about him or his family, and I thought it would be helpful, but there wasn’t a single result. I thought about him from time to time as a teenager, but the longer I went without him, the harder the memories were to recall. Until today, anyway.”

Her brows furrow in confusion. “His last name is Kingsley. You didn’t know that?”

I shake my head as I continue gently massaging. “His parents always called him Jett James. I remember seeing it on one of his luggage tags, so I never even considered that it could’ve been his middle name or a nickname. At the time, it didn’t seem important. When you’re a kid, you never think the people in your life could be temporary.”

I reach for the moisturizer, applying a thin layer to her skin to combat any dryness from the mask. When I’m done, she sits up and turns to me. “He doesn’t datemuch…in case you’re wondering. I’ve seen him with a few women over the last year, but he’s not a playboy or anything.”

My eyes go wide. “Oh, I don’t— We aren’t—” I sputter, but she cuts me off as I become more tongue tied.

“Yeah, I know. I just figured that was good information to have about yourfriend.” She says the word like she knows the way I had to stop myself from kissing him when he was here. I can’t explain it, and I understand how weird it is because I haven’t seen him since we were twelve, but I’ve always felt this pull toward him. When we were really young, it was just wanting to be around him, but during the final moments of the last summer I had with him, something changed.

“Do you ever want to get married?” I asked, playing with the smooth rock I had picked up on our walk to the birch tree in my back yard. It was our favorite place to sit because if we angled ourselves just right, our parents couldn’t see us, giving the illusion that we were all alone as the waves rolled into the shore.

“Nah,” Jett replied, scoffing in disgust. “Seems like a lot of work. Plus, my parents are always kissing and it’s gross. I can hear their spit.No thanks.”

I giggled. “You never want tokissanyone, either?”

He whipped his head toward me like I had just asked him if he liked sardines on his pizza. Horror crossed over his face as his brows pinched tightly together and his jaw hung slack. “No way! Why? Do you?”

I shrugged shyly. “I mean…probably. I want to fall in love one day. Can’t really do that if I don’t kiss the person first, right?”

His expression grew serious. “I guess not,” he said quietly, looking at his hands that were wrung together in his lap. I focused on the water, feeling conflicted about the whole conversation. Part of me was sad that he felt so strongly about those things. Because it meant that there would never be a chance that Jett would marryme,like I’d dreamed about all the time. I sighed, causing him to look back in my direction.

“I’ll tell you what, Bay. If neither of us is married by the time we’re twenty-five, we’ll marry each other. Sound good?”

I met his gaze, my eyes going wide. “You just said you never wanted to.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re different. You’re my best friend. If you really want to get married and aren’t by the time you’re old, I don’t want you to miss out.”

A toothy grin bloomed across my face as my cheeks warmed. “Okay. Thanks, Jett.”

“No problem,” he replied. “Should we shake on it? To make it official?”

I nodded, sticking my hand between us for him to take. As soon as his palm closed around mine, I knew I’d never even try with other boys. All I had to do was wait until I turned twenty-five, then we could have a giant wedding and live forever on this beach. It seemed like a lifetime away, but I was sure I could do it.

“Jett?” I said quietly, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Yeah?”

“Will you kiss me?”

FOUR

JETT

It’s beenan hour since I left Bailey in the Davises’ room. It took everything in me to give them privacy and come back here to wait for her, but I couldn’t be that close while she was trying to do her job. She’s not here for me. She’s here for Dia.

My mind is still reeling over the fact that it’s really her. All the times I thought of her over the years, I never imagined it would be a random elevator ride that brought her back to me. This whole thing has so many moving parts, I refuse to believe that this isn’t a fated meeting. I live in Boston. Before that, I was in Texas and went to college at A&M, so the only time I travel to Florida is when my team plays here. Our beach houses were in a small town less than four hours from here, but after my aunt and uncle made the decision to sell, I never returned other than to clear it out on a chilly mid-November day. I was just a broken boy at that point, quietly sobbing as I packed my belongings with the knowledge that I was saying goodbye to the place forgood. I looked out the window, seeing Bailey’s room through the pink sheer curtains, wishing there was a way to tell her where to find me. Looking back, I should’ve left a note, but I guess that type of logic wasn’t something I possessed at twelve years old.

Losing my parents turned my whole world upside down, and that time was the darkest of my life. Some days were just a blur, and I moved through them barely able to put one foot in front of the other. I still break down every now and then when I think about how much tragedy I suffered at such a young age. On the really rough nights, memories of my parents and Bailey at that beach house were all I had. I clung to them like a lifeline when I felt like I couldn’t go on any longer.

A quiet knock brings me back to the present, and I stand, walking over to the door. My stomach twists in anticipation as I open it, revealing Bailey and her large suitcase on the other side.

---