Page 65 of From Now On

“I would have rather walked on the beach,” Hunter replies. His expression turns wry. “Don’t tell Aidan.”

“I won’t,” I assure him.

“The water wasn’t warm and Hart spent most of the time talking about this shark documentary he watched with Harlow. I guess surfers often get mistaken for seals.” He rotates his shoulder again. “I hadn’t swum in a while and stopped lifting regularly after the season ended.”

“Well, you’ve still got a six-pack.”

For a few seconds, I’m able to pretend that thought stayed in my head.

But when my eyes meet Hunter’s blue ones, the corners are crinkled from his grin. “Thought you didn’t see anything?”

There’s no chance I’m not bright red. “I wasn’t—I was talking about this morning. When you were, um, shirtless.”

I don’t think clarifying that made things better. That might have made things worse. Essentially, I’ve admitted to checking him out multiple times.

He nods, still grinning.

And, despite my embarrassment, I’m a little proud. Even around Conor and Aidan, I haven’t seen Hunter smile that wide.

Since I’m already blushing, I figure the next words can’t hurt. “Harlow mentioned that you had to carry me to the car last night. Thank you. And, uh, sorry. That you had to. Not my finest moment.”

“No thanks necessary,” he tells me.

Hunter says that like any guy would think to carry his best friend’s girlfriend’s best friend after she’d downed too many tequila shots. When, in my experience,college guysandchivalrousare not three words that are used in conjunction with each other.

I glance down at the drawing in my lap. Wriggle my toes inside my striped fuzzy socks. I want to keep talking with him, but I don’t know what to say next.

The giddiness isn’t evaporating. It’s rolling over me in endless waves, like I’m standing at the edge of the ocean I was drawing and water keeps kissing the shore.

I’m alone with Hunter Morgan. I’m alone with Hunter Morgan. I’m alone with Hunter Morgan.

Maybe if I repeat it enough times, the shock value will start to wear off and I’ll think of something witty to say.

“Can I ask you a random question?” he asks suddenly.

I glance over. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Where are your folks staying for graduation?” He rubs his shoulder again. “That’s why my mom called earlier. She’s trying to make plans and thinks the hotel they stayed at before is too far from campus.”

A question he could have asked the group when he climbed in the car. Instead he’s asking only me, now.

“I think my mom is staying at the Westin in Loughton. And my dad…he’s not coming. He called to tell me last night. But the Westin’s nice. About fifteen minutes from campus, and not that pricey. They probably raised rates for graduation, but hopefully not too much. I’d suggest it to your mom.”

I canfeelHunter’s eyes on me, but I don’t look over. I roll my pencil between my fingers, pretending to focus on my drawing.

“I’m really sorry, Eve.”

I nod, then tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “Thanks. It shouldn’t have been…” I exhale, then relax deeper into the couch, letting the sketchbook slide off my lap. “My dad and me…it’s one of those situations that’s always sucked. I accepted it sucked a long time ago, and it’s just gone through different degrees of suckiness since. So, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

The sentence is earnest. There’s no hesitation. No uncomfortable edge to Hunter’s tone.

It compels me to continue talking. “That’s why I drank so much last night. But I promise it was a one-time thing. You won’t need to employ any more heroics this trip. I’ll get over it. It’s just a silly ceremony, anyway.”

“It’s a ceremony celebrating four years of hard work. It’s not silly.”

His matter-of-fact statement cuts deep. It’s what I was hoping my mom would say, I realize. I needed some acknowledgment that I have a right to be disappointed my father won’t be there to see me graduate college. It’s a moment that will mean something to me. And I wanted it to be a moment that meant something to him too.

---