Page 8 of Fake Coral and Keys

She’d realize I was nothing more than a fucking fraud.

“Can we just not?” someone says behind me.

I break the kiss and but keep my eyes on Daisy. Lust hazes her green eyes, and she blinks several times, then presses her breasts to my chest harder. I tear my eyes away from her red, swollen lips and find Forest walking towards us, Amber clinging to his arm, smiling with a devilish grin.

I turn back to Daisy, not bothering to release my grip on her hair or put space between our bodies. Part of me knows I need to chill the fuck out, but I’m so excited tosee her I want to wrap her in my arms tighter. A smile pulls at her lips, and I kiss the corner of her mouth.

Calm down, Blake. Take it down a notch. Several notches. You supposedly just saw her this morning. You’re her boyfriend that sees her all the time.

Forest shakes his head as he gets closer to where we stand. “You guys act like you haven’t seen each other in months.”

“Every second away from her feels like weeks.” I look into the vibrant green of her eyes, sparkling with the same intensity I feel. “And every hour, like days.”

“Oh, my fuck.” Forest sighs. “Is he always so dramatic?”

The little grin tugging at Daisy’s mouth breaks into a full-blown smile. My chest shutters, and I know for certain I’m in trouble.

“And every day feels like months,” she says, releasing the grip on my jacket. Releasing her feels like a sin, so I intertwine my fingers in hers just to keep touching her. The light tinkle of metal pulls my eyes to our joined hands. The delicate bracelet I gave her with the silly little charms dangles around her thin wrist. She’s wearing it. She remembered after five months to wear it. Good.

Forest makes an exaggerated gagging sound. “Can we go before this makes me vomit?”

Amber smacks her husband’s arm. “Why don’t you talk to me the way Blake talks to Daisy?”

Forest’s brows turn down. “Like a lovesick puppy?”

“Like a knight enchanted by a lady,” Amber says with a mock frown.

“Or a Lord about to rip the bodice off a fair virginal maiden.”

We all turn at the same time. A blonde woman with a petite frame stands just to my left. She must have crept up while we were talking.

“Justine!” Amber squeals and rushes forward, grabbing the little woman by her shoulders. “Lily didn’t say you were coming with us!”

I clench my teeth at Amber’s high-pitched screams, reminding me of a screeching owl. Out of Daisy’s entire family, Amber was the least offensive, but right now she’s grating on my brain. Amber turns back to where we all stand. I watch as Forest rolls his eyes until they land on Daisy. Daisy’s lip curls.

Note to self: Daisy does not like Justine.

This Justine woman is the same height as Daisy but seems smaller. The bright blue strapless dress shows offprotruding collarbones and hugs her thin frame. She’s vaguely familiar, and I rack my brain, trying to place her. When I stalked Daisy’s social media, I remember seeing Justine’s smiling face in a few pictures. Was it with her sister Lily?

Bingo.

Justine is a part of Lily’s little social media group. Although Justine wasn’t in as many pictures as Erin, her face appeared enough that I remember her, but never looked her up. She didn’t seem important to Daisy, so she was unimportant to me.

“Lily sent me the invite yesterday,” Justine says, her eyes flicker to me, then back to Amber.

Daisy shoots a questioning look at Erin. Her hand tenses in mine, her palm now slightly clammy. “She did?”

Okay, so we have a history here and it’s not great. This Justine is obviously not someone Daisy likes, but the way Amber acts, she’s important. I offer the petite woman my hand. “I’m Blake, Daisy’s boyfriend.”

Justine lets out a small huffing sound, her mouth quirking up in the corner. I’m not sure what it means, but I feel Daisy tense next to me.

“Daisy has a boyfriend?” Justine asks, that little smirk still playing on her lips. Her eyes travel from my eyes to my chest,landing on my crotch. She offers her limp hand, which I grab and try to shake, but her wrist is too loose. Her smile widens. “Hello, Blake.”

I try to pump the demure little hand clasped to mine, but it’s like trying to hold on to pudding. Forest pulls the woman into a hard side hug and she releases her noodle hand from mine. Just touching her after Daisy feels gross.

“Are we ready?” Justine asks.

Forest looks at me. “It’s a three-hour flight. Can you not be gross with my sister for that long?”

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