Page 12 of Only One Beach House

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Caspian has been enough of a distraction all summer to keep me from thinking about the fact that I’m rootless right now. A blank page—that’s what he says any time I’ve tried to get self-deprecating about things, and I might be starting to come around to his way of thinking. The future could be anything I want it to be, and instead of feeling hopeless and terrifying, that’s suddenly thrilling.

Getting in the car this morning, part of me thought that leaving the beach, leaving Caspian, would break some kind of spell. Like if the real world bled into our happy summer bubble, all the things I’ve been feeling for him would just slip away.

I put a hand on my chest and feel the flutter in my heart at just the thought of Cas. The feelings are definitely all still there, and right now, riding high from my interview, there’s only one person I want to talk to.

The phone only rings once before Caspian’s husky voice comes through the other end.

“Nols.”

I chuckle and bite my lip, my smile growing exponentially wider just from hearing my name on his lips.

“Were you just sitting there staring at your phone, waiting for me to call?” I tease, secretly loving the idea that he’s missing me as much as I’m missing him, even though we’ve only been apart for about fourteen hours.

“Yes, and I won’t be shamed about it,” he says with that cocky confidence I can’t get enough of. “Now, tell me about how it went. Did you crush it? Did they cancel all the rest of their interviews and hire you on the spot? Did they elect you president of the company?”

I laugh again and my heart gives another warm, insistent flutter. How the fuck have I lived this long without having a cheerleader like him in my corner? Slater has always been a fantastic hype man, but Cas takes it to a whole other level.

“King of the universe, actually,” I joke. “It wentamazing. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but I clicked with these guys right away. They’re super chill and honestly just a couple of nerds with a vision.” Excitement pulses inside of me again, settling into a pit of longing in my gut. I want this so fucking badly. “We talked about video games for like three hours and then they gave me a tour of the place. It’s exactly how they described it—just bare, rented office space with room for a few desks and computers.”

“And you’re fucking psyched about it,” he says knowingly, a smile in his voice.

I groan. “I’m so fucking psyched. This is the worst.”

“What?” He chuckles. “I think you lost me.”

“I’ve never cared like this before. I took that stupid, boring job because it was supposed to be stable, but I think part of me also liked that it was safer. Emotionally, I mean. Getting laid off sucked financially, but I never lost a second of sleep over the job itself. If I don’t get this job though, I think I’ll be devastated.”

“I get it. It’s scary as hell to put yourself out there and risk getting hurt. But isn’t it better to take the leap than to keep your feet on the ground and miss out on all this excitement? Isn’t it better to feel something?” His voice is so full of passion and conviction that it makes my lips ache to kiss the hell out of him.

“Yeah,” I agree with a slight tremble. “I think it is.”

He hums happily, and the sound raises goose bumps all over my skin. “I just want you to live your best, most incredible life. You deserve it, Nols. You deserve everything.”

My heart swells and words clog up my throat.

I’m so in love with this man. How could I not be? He has this gravitational pull of positivity and confidence that I want to bask in forever. He’s the sweetest, most genuine man I’ve ever met.

But there’s still one little problem.

“I think we should tell Slater,” I say.

He’s quiet for just a second, and then he makes awhoopsound that’s so loud I have to pull the phone away from my ear.

“Hell yeah. That means what I think it does, right? This is bigger than a summer fling?”

“I think it is. Obviously, if I get this job—”

“Whenyou get the job,” he jumps in to correct me.

I grin and roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “We’ll have to talk about logistics, but yeah, Cas, I—” I bite my tongue. I’m not going to tell him I love him for the first time over the phone when I’m a couple of states away.

“Those are just details.” I can practically see him waving his hand dismissively as he says it. “This has been the best summer of my life, Nols. I’m crazy about you.”

“I’m crazy about you too, Cas,” I whisper. We’re both quiet for a minute, and I imagine him grinning like a fool with a hand over his thundering heart just like I am. “Now, tell me what you’re wearing.” I dip my voice low.

He rumbles a laugh. “Nothing but a smile, baby.”

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