Page 12 of From Now On

“Conor thinks it’s a great idea,” she tells me a second later.

I silently addslow responderto my growing list of grievances against Ben. By the time he replied about something, it was usually null. I’d already eaten lunch or left for Gaffney’s or gone to the studio.

As with his sighing, it started out charming. I liked that Ben wasn’t constantly on his phone like most of our peers. He always apologized for taking so long to get back to me, and I always said it was fine. I also started texting him less frequently.

“So, you’re in?” Harlow asks enthusiastically.

I scramble for some excuse.

“You said you’re leaving Thursday afternoon. I have my Poetics of Narrative class on Friday morning, and I can’t miss it.” I mean,I could, would actually love to, but I shouldn’t. And it’s the best excuse I can come up with while drunk and on immediate notice. “So…” I shrug, and then let my voice trail, leading Harlow to the inevitable conclusion.

“That’s fine,” she says, shocking me. “Better, actually. Now Hunter doesn’t have to drive nine hours alone. He has a Friday morning class too, so he’s coming separately.”

“What?” There’s pure panic in my voice, but Harlow is too busy texting to notice. And I’m too stunned to stop her.

Hunter…as in Hunter Morgan. I cannot ridenine hourswithHunter Morgan. I barely made it through our five-minute interaction earlier. I barreled into him, smelled him, and then babbled nonsense. Me, him, and a small enclosed space? I’ll probably self-combust. I’lldefinitelysay or do something embarrassing.

“Conor checked with Hunter. He said you’re welcome to ride with him.” Harlow delivers the verdict cheerfully.

Fuck, fuck,fuck.

My brain’s stopped working. I can’t come up with a single believable excuse for why I can’t ride with Hunter. I could fake an illness closer to Friday, but then there’s a risk Harlow wouldinsist on staying with me. I already ruined her night. I don’t want to ruin her spring break too.

I could tell her the truth, but it sounds ridiculous even in my own head.

See, the first night of freshman year, I met this guy. And I’ve barely spoken to him since, but he’s stuck in my head, so I can’t be stuck in a car with him.

I never mentioned meeting Hunter to Harlow, and I’m fairly certain he has no memory of it. If he does, he’s never said anything. I tested Harlow last fall, the first time Hunter said hi to me, acting likeIhad no clue who he was, and she definitely didn’t respond withOh, yeah. He said he met you freshman year.

I never expected him to remember me—it was a long time ago. But it makes me more self-conscious about how wellIrememberhim.

I take a deep breath. “Harlow, I really don’t?—”

“Do it for me, Eve.” She gives me a pleading look. “I know I’ve been distracted by Conor lately. This will be a chance for us to hang out a ton. Aidan’s girlfriend, Rylan, is awesome. You’ll like her. It’ll be a fun, chill getaway. The perfect distraction. I promise.”

“You do realize the flaws in yourquality timepitch are that we already live together and that Conor will be on the trip too, right?”

Harlow rolls her eyes. “Only for two more months. And Hunter is going. I swear it’s not a couples thing. The house Aidan rented isrighton the water.” She nudges my ribs with her elbow. “Waybetter scenery to paint than our living room.”

“It’s not just the couples thing. I’m going to feel like an outsider. I don’t know Conor’s friends.”

“You’ve met them. Aidan’s super friendly. And Hunter’s more reserved, but he’s cool. Driving with him will be fine.”

IknowHunter’s cool. He’s part of the crowd that’s beautiful and popular and athletic. It’s one of the reasons why being around him makes me feel like I’ve swallowed a sparkler. He’s so firmly outside my comfort zone being around him makes my world feel bigger. Makes me feel reckless, like maybe I should try to capture something out of reach.

And it’s also why driving with him willnotbe fine. It will be the most thrilling nine hours of my twenty-two years on this planet.

Fuck it.

I swallow another long gulp of vodka and tell my best friend, “Okay. I’m in.”

CHAPTER FOUR

HUNTER

“Sorry I’m late!”

Aidan’s apology beats his arrival by half a second. He flies past me and carves a clean circle in front of the bench, sending a spray of ice shavings into the boards.

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