Page 41 of Spring Tide

“No, we, uh ... we didn’t get together until sophomore year of college.”

“I think that’s so sweet,” I reassure her with a soft smile. “Your relationship’s built on the foundation of a strong friendship.”

“Yeah.” Danny coughs into his fist, quickly gulping down a drink of water.

Luca awkwardly clears his throat beside me. All three of them seem stiff now, somehow uncomfortable with the current topic, so I opt to change course.

“So, um, you two go to Dayton?” I ask, shifting in my seat until my thigh makes contact with Luca’s. It grounds me a little bit to know that we’re physically connected. “How’s that?”

“We love it,” Danny says, instantly perking up. “I wish Luc was able to join us there, but it seems like he’s pretty happy at Coastal these days. Especially since he met you.”

“Oh, you were supposed to go to Dayton?” I nudge Luca with my elbow, tilting my head to gauge his expression. “You never mentioned that.”

“Oh, yeah.” He shrugs, a distinct lack of emotion on his face. “I was planning on it a long time ago.”

“But you changed your mind?”

“They actually gave away his scholarship,” Danny cuts in after a stilted pause. “It was pretty fucked-up when it all went down. I mean, he was only, like, one day late on putting down his deposit. Right, Luc?”

“Right,” Luca confirms, jaw tight.

“Oh man, that really sucks,” I say, attempting to provide him some comfort with my words. My hand itches to rest on his knee, to press a soft squeeze against his thigh, but I fold my hands together in my lap instead. Just because physical touch gives me reassurance, it doesn’t mean it’s the same for Luca. “I guess, selfishly, I’m happy you ended up at Coastal.”

“It worked out the best for everyone, didn’t it?” He mutters the question to no one, but his gaze seems to be pinpointed on Sofia. I glance from Luca’s stony expression to Sofia’s soft blush to Danny’s obvious embarrassment.

There’s clearly some unspoken tension between these three. Honestly, I’m starting to regret my decision to join Luca tonight. I canceled on Nate because I wanted to help my friend. But now, I’m the odd one out, wading through a decade of unresolved issues that don’t belong to me.

“Excuse me,” I murmur, sliding out of the booth. “I’m just gonna go freshen up.”

As I make my way toward the back of the restaurant, my heels click loudly against the linoleum. My body is jittering, hands shaking as I turn the lock on the restroom door.

I lean against the back wall, the cool tile pressing into my neck and shoulders. It’s alerting at first, but then it works as I intended. All my attention is suddenly refocused on the sensation. It’s uncomfortable, but it rewires my chaotic thoughts.

I can finally stop fretting over all the ways I’ve blundered tonight. It’s not even my fault, considering I have no clue what’s got them all in a funk. If I said the wrong thing, then that’s on Luca.

He should’ve warned me.

Once I’m calm, I slowly push myself away from the wall. Sighing, I turn the faucet to its warmest setting, scrubbing my hands and forearms under the steaming water.

When I finally finish up, Luca’s waiting for me in the hallway, his back pressed against the adjacent wall.

“You okay?” he asks, gaze locked onto the heated, pink blotches that decorate my arms.

“I should be askingyouthat question, don’t you think?”

He schools his expression. “I’m fine.”

“Really?” I cross both arms over my chest, brows raised in disbelief. “Because I feel like there’s some big, unspoken secret that I’m not a part of. Why is everyone so tense tonight?”

He releases a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Probably because Sofia’s my ex.”

“What?”

“We dated first, before she and Danny got together,” he quietly explains, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Two years in high school, then we broke up during our first year of college. We tried the long-distance thing, and it didn’t work.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I toss my hands up, frantically glancing toward our booth. “I just sat out there and asked them all those embarrassing questions.”

“You’re right, I should’ve told you.”

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