Page 104 of Spring Tide

“You know, I think I have a few bucks in my cup holder.” I move my hand from her thigh, rifling through the change until I come up with enough for a large cone. “I could swing by that place you like? Pick up some chocolate ice cream with gummy bears.”

A soft pink stains her cheeks. “You remembered.”

“Of course I did. Who could forget something so disgusting?”

Her jaw drops in a playful scoff, arms crossed over her chest. “You’re just mad that you’re boring.”

I pocket my change and return my hand to its rightful place atop her thigh. “Sure am.”

On our drive over to the Golden Cone, Harper sifts through my glove compartment in search of a pen. She pulls my hand onto her lap, doodling some flower pattern on the back of my wrist. When we coast up to a stop sign, she flips my hand and scribbles her first initial on my upturned palm. There—right at the base of my thumb—is a capitalHwith a loopy little heart above the center.

It’s silly, inconsequential really, but for some reason, it still makes my pulse hum heavy in my chest.

Moments later, while we wait at the drive-through window, I grab her hand and scribble a tiny cursiveLin the same place. There’s a weight in the pit of my stomach now, a desperate, aching need to make her just as absurdly happy as she makes me.

It may be an impossible feat, but I’m sure as hell going to try my fucking best.

31

HARPER

Eden and Fletcherare fighting again.

I’ve been running damage control all morning, but there’s little I can do to help remedy the situation at this point. Apparently, Eden overheard him flirting with some other girl after the football game last night. When she confronted him about it, he came back with the worst possible excuse: “We’re not technically dating anymore, so what does it matter to you?”

I’m surprised Eden was able to withhold herself from slapping him in the face. She said she wanted to, badly, but there were too many witnesses to risk it. My girl’s not prone to easily forgive and forget, so the fact that she opened herself up for a second chance is a big deal. Now, I doubt she’ll ever give Fletcher the time of day again.

Unfortunately, there’s still nearly a month left in the semester, so the two of them are stuck interning together until winter break hits. I’d ask Luca to help run defense, but I highly doubt he’d involve himself in some petty drama like this. Well ... he might ifIasked him to, but he’s already got more than enough on his plate to deal with.

He’s running himself ragged trying to balance everything, yet he still manages to make me feel like a priority. It’s honestly remarkable. We have plans to meet after his shift at Amber Isle this afternoon, but for now, I’m posted up in Eden’s apartment, watching her shovel french toast down her throat.

“He’s just such an ass,” she says through another massive, syrup-soaked bite. “Princess this, princess that, what a load of shit.”

“I just don’t understand his motive,” I say, dipping some more french bread into the eggy concoction beside me. “He acted like he really wanted to work things out.”

“That’s just it. It was all an act.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” I toss the bread into the pan and listen for a sizzle, flipping it once it’s perfectly seared on one side. “I can only imagine how awful you’re feeling.”

“You’ve never had your heart broken, have you?”

“Well, not really.” I pile up the last of the toast onto her plate. Untying the apron around my waist, I join her at the kitchen island. “I’ve never been in love.”

She gives me a sideways glance. “Not even with Luca?”

“Oh, I, um ... maybe?”

Am I inlovewith Luca? I honestly hadn’t put much thought into the idea yet. It’s true, there are a lot of things I love about him—the way he makes me feel, the way he looks at me, the way he tries so fucking hard in all aspects of his life—but does that mean I’m actually in love?

If it does, then I guess I’ve fallen headfirst without even realizing it.

Luca’s mine, and I’m his. Truthfully, I can’t imagine my life here at Coastal without him now. So yeah, I guess that does mean I’m in love with him. It’s a scary thing to admit to myself, even scarier to think about admitting it to him.

It’s just ... I know the wholelovething hasn’t worked out so well for him in the past.

“You just figured it out, didn’t you?” Eden asks with a knowing smile, popping the last piece of french toast into her mouth.

A welcome heat climbs my neck. “I guess I did.”

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