Page 33 of The Love Trick

I fall in step beside her, struggling to come up with an answer. “I guess I’m just thinking about your wedding and having to deal with the family and all that.”

She furrows her brow. “You sure that’s it? Because I saw Blaze leave in a bit of a rush last night. He seemed frazzled after he almost kissed you… I think I know what was on his mind…”

I laugh it off, trying to ignore my heart’s reaction. “Um, no. He just knows that I don’t like PDA and all that. It’s not appropriate.”

She giggles. “Well, it’s clear he can’t keep his hands off you. It’ssofreaking cute. I always knew the two of you were bound to happen. It was just a matter of time. And it makes so much sense, you know? Because he’salwayslooked at you like you’re the only woman who exists. And now, I realize it’s because he’s been madly in love with you this entire time.”

“Yeah,” I squeak, wiping my hands on my shirt. “I guess maybe I should’ve told him how I felt about him in college.” I keep my eyes out on the ocean waves, staring at the boats on the horizon. Looking at anything other than my sister.

“You totally should’ve. Just think, the two of you would probably be married with two kids by now.Ugh.That’s literally the sweetest thing to think about.”

“Yeah.” I halfway smile but can’t bring myself to lift my lips all the way. Something about the thought of Blaze and me being together like that makes me … sad. I mean, hedidn’t even want to be myfakeboyfriend. I basically had to beg him to do this. And the show he put on last night on the dance floor was only because he drank too much.

I wring my hands and decide to change the subject. “How did you know that Robert was the right one?”

She breaks into a grin. “Well, it’s hard to say when I knew exactly.He likes to say he knew the moment we met, but it didn’t come that quickly for me. I mean, I always thought he was sweet, and he treats me like a queen, but we started off as friends. I was actually dating someone else when we met.”

I nod, remembering a little of that. “Weren’t you with Chad? He was the one who had a complex about his sports car, right?”

She rolls her eyes. “He seriously loved that car more than anything else. But yeah, I met Robert at one of Chad’s tech meetings, and we became friends. Then when Chad and I broke up just a couple weeks later, Robert offered to bring me ice cream and whatever else I needed.” She laughs and shakes her head. “And I knew when he showed up with all my favorite things that he was special. He put so much thought into it.” She meets my eyes. “No one had ever put that much thought into me.”

“I’m glad you’re getting your happy ending,” I say, reaching out and squeezing her arm. “I can’t wait to see where things go between you two.”

“Me either.” She pauses, glancing down at her watch. “But it’s about time for me to get to my facial appointment. I need to look my best for this wedding.” Aurora shoots me a wink and then jogs off toward the resort.

I’m left alone again, standing in the sand and staring at the waves. And if I’m honest, all this wedding talk has me wishing I had someone … for real. Part of me wants to just jump into the ocean and let it swallow me for a little while. Maybe I could turn into a mermaid. Maybe my soulmate is somewhere in the sea.

Laughing out loud at the thought, I plop down on the sand, right at the edge of the shoreline. The warm ocean water crashes all around me, soaking my shorts. I sit quietly, thinking about Blaze and how hard it’ll be to break it to everyone that he’s nothing more than a friend—and that we didn’t work out.

As I sit here, with my toes buried in the sand, listening to the sounds of the waves, my mind falls back to the first time we met—the same moment he described to everyone last night.

“I’m so late,” I mumble under my breath as I try to juggle my coffee and my books, jogging down the sidewalk with my backpack slapping my backside.

I need to tighten the straps, but I’ll have to wait until I make it to biology.

Suddenly, my Chacos catch on a jut in the sidewalk, and I trip. My iced drink spills down my white T-shirt as my books slip from my hands and hit the ground with a thud. I fall right behind them, pain searing through my tailbone.

“Whoa, are you okay?” a deep voice calls from behind me.

I whip my head around to see a tall, muscular hottie with dark hair and amber eyes holding a hockey jersey.

“I’m fine,” I choke out, pushing myself up off the ground, ignoring the pain.

“Your shirt…” he says softly, reaching down and gathering my books before offering me a hand.

My shoulders fall with defeat as I glance down at my ruined T-shirt. “Ugh. I might as well just go back to my dorm and miss class. This has been a horrible morning.”

“It’s not too late to turn it around.” He smiles and checks his watch. “You might be a little late, but you can still make it.”

“But look at my shirt.” I groan, holding it away from my body. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t go to class like this.”

“You can wear my jersey.” He holds it out, his eyes latching onto mine. “I don’t mind. Gives me a reason to get your name and see you again later.”

And that’s how it all started.

Chapter Thirteen

Blaze

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