Page 79 of Catch the Sun

Chapter 19

Ella

Brynn! prances beside me as we wind through college kids and hand-in-hand lovers, music filling the air and spilling out from the crowded venue. I’m slurping down a blue-raspberry slushie when she links our arms together.

“What do you think of Kai?” she asks me.

It’s an odd question. Her perma-smile wavers when I glance at her. “He’s really sweet. Shy, introverted. Surprisingly funny when he’s comfortable with you. Why?”

“No reason.”

There’s always a reason. “Elaborate.”

“Well, McKay insists he has a crush on me and he’s pissed that I invited him today. He’s wrong, right? Kai just needs some friends. And I love making friends.”

“I agree with McKay.” When Brynn! whips her head toward me, she blanches a little. Honesty has never been difficult for me. “Sorry, but Kai definitely has a crush on you. I don’t blame McKay for mentioning it, but I don’t blame you for making Kai feel included. Just tread carefully.”

She sighs, blowing out a long breath through pink, glossy lips. “It’s my Christopher Robin eyes.”

It takes a minute for the statement to process, and when it does, a burst of laughter falls out of me. “Well, that’s not a bad thing. I wish everyone had Christopher Robin eyes.”

“No. It’s a curse. And now McKay is mad, thinking I might cheat on him.”

“He doesn’t think that.”

“He cornered me outside the car and said those exact words. He’s been acting really jealous and angry lately and it’s stressing me out.”

My nose crinkles, and I can’t help but think of Jonah.

No.

McKay isn’t Jonah; he’s just a high school kid.

I banish the thought and try to ease her worries. “He’s intoxicated and being insecure. Christopher Robin is loyal.”

“Which character are you?” she asks.

I pause. I’m about to say Piglet, but then I wonder…who is Piglet without Pooh Bear?Swallowing the quickly forming knot in my throat, I shrug. “I don’t know anymore.”

Brynn! sips her apple cider and smiles softly, still holding on to my arm as we weave through the masses. It’s a chilly fifty-degree evening, and everyone is bundled up and huddled together with friends and loved ones while dallying outside the venue. Considering we’re heading into December, a lot of people are dressed up in holiday sweaters. I’m still stuck in Halloween with my all-black attire, blueish lips, and pale skin, so I probably look like Wednesday Addams.

I bet Matty and Pete were proud.

The guys are dressed comfortably. Max snagged a hoodie from the back of his truck after we parked, and when I sneak a peek at him sauntering a few feet to my right, he pulls his hood up over his head to counter the chill in the air.

Our eyes meet.

Hopefully mine aren’t rimmed red from the embarrassing waterworks show on the drive over. His are as soft and blue as they’ve ever been.

McKay is on the other side of Max as Kai trails behind the group with his gaze on the ground. Brynn! unlinks our arms and peers over at a line of food trucks boasting the best barbecue in Tennessee. “Ooh! They have vegan kabobs. Pit stop?” She eyes the group.

I shake my head. “I’m good.”

Kai immediately tags along, prompting a glare from McKay, while Max follows with a comment about smoky-garlic pulled pork. That leaves me and McKay standing off to the side, dodging a group of drunken twentysomethings.

He uncaps his Coke and takes a big swig, eyes narrowed at Brynn!’s billowing pigtails. “He digs her,” he mutters, swishing the soda concoction around in aimless circles. “I mean, she’s perfect. I don’t blame the guy. But she acts flirty with him.”

McKay and I hardly speak, let alone about anything serious. In fact, I would have put money on him not liking me all that much. Clearing my throat, I toe a groove in the pavement and try to act cool. “She acts the same way with me. She’s a friendly person.”

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