Page 51 of Alice & Meg: Summer Vacation
Lo raised his beer.“To turtling.”
“To turtling!”everyone echoed and lifted their drinks with a laugh.
I shook my head and leaned into him.“You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously charming,” he whispered.
I snorted.“Don’t push it.”
And just like that, the turtle mystery was solved.
Monday
Meg
“I don’t want to go home.”I paused and sighed, tossing a pair of flip-flops into my duffel bag.“But I do want to go home.”
Lo laughed from across the room as he zipped his own bag shut.“I’m ready to go home, babe.I miss our bed and our house.”
I flopped down onto the edge of the motel bed and looked up at him.“But it doesn’t feel like we’re on vacation at home.”
He shrugged and slung his duffel over his shoulder.“I don’t care where I am as long as you’re with me.”
A tight little squeeze bloomed in my chest.“I’m already on the brink of crying, Lo.You don’t have to go and be all sweet to me.”
He chuckled and crossed the room in a few long strides, and pulled me into his side like he always did when he knew I needed it, even if I hadn’t said so.
“You’re a nut, Meg.”
I sniffled into his cut.“But you love me.”
“That’ll never change, babe.”He pressed a kiss to the side of my head, and damn if I didn’t feel like I might actually cry for real.
I pulled back just enough to look up at him, narrowing my eyes.“I’m still mad at you for all those damn turtles.”
Lo smirked.That infuriating, smug, caught-red-handed smirk.“I just can’t believe it took you that long to figure out it was me.”
I slapped his chest, not hard, just enough to get my point across.“I didn’t think it was you because I’m normally the one pulling the pranks.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal.“I guess you wore off on me.”
I leaned into him again, this time less emotional and more… content.“You think we can do this again next year?”I asked softly.
“Vacation with the Fallen Lords?”he asked, like it was crazy I even had to ask.
I nodded into his chest.
“Hell yeah, babe.Maybe next time we can get more of the club to come.”
I smiled up at him.“That would be perfect.”
And for once, it really, truly felt like it was.
Alice
The sun was already high, casting that golden summer glow that made everything look picture-perfect.Too perfect.It felt wrong to be packing up and saying goodbye when I just wanted to hit rewind and live the whole vacation over again.
Adley’s van was packed so tight it looked like it might burst.There wasn’t even a sliver of space between her suitcase and the pile of pool floaties stuffed into the back seat.Bear’s Bronco looked no better, with duffels, coolers, and boxes crammed to the roof.He was already in the driver’s seat with Greta beside him, her elbow hanging out the open window as she leaned toward the rest of us.
