Page 9 of Faking Forever 1
“Huh?”
“I said, hurry up and get your shirt off already? The waves are getting big, and we might miss it if we don’t hurry up.”
“Right. Sorry.” I continue to button down my flannel, mumbling and taking a deep breath.
Carefully, I take it off, tossing it beside the rest of our belongings before grabbing my board and linking the latch around my ankle. I was longing to get in the water. It hasn’t rained or sprinkled for the past three months or so. It’s been a complete heatwave. As a result, everything is drying out.
Some people even think that it’ll dry out our beach. As crazy as that seems, global warming might grant that idea. Pretty sad to think about.
I spent more than enough of my time thinking and processing life’s values while I was away last summer. It’s pretty easy to do when the person you care about most leaves at the worst time in your life. I don’t blame Paisley, but let’s face it—Sierra 26
HEY LOVER
and Beau don’t do it for me like she does. She gets it in a way that’s uncomprehending. After my parent’s divorce and the big lie, I dug myself into an inevitably large hole.
Truth was, Ididn’tget into Escoffier, and I don’t know how to tell her that that’s the real reason I didn’t come all along.
I was an idiotic eighteen-year-old kid when I lied. Now I’m twenty and beyond my ears in regret. The worst part of it isn’t going to be telling her, but instead, the reaction that will follow. She could probably never forgive me, which is a bigger problem than me even lying about it. My pop raised an honest man, and I was coming entirely out of character right now.
Sparing her feelings was just not an excuse I could keep using.
It wasn’t an excuse atall.
After learning about Nick and his cheating scandal with Darcy, the last thing she wants to hear is that I’m not coming to Denver. I didn’t want to be the one to bear more bad news at the time, and I still don’t. I had never seen her so upset and torn apart over anything. I crushed my soul hearing her cry.
Moreover, he’s a filthy rat in a general sense, anyway. I was praying for them to break up, but not in that way. After all, nothing hurts like love.
He fumbled something serious by cheating on a girl like her.
It took her too long to realize it wasn’t her fault. From my point of view, though, I’m not sure how she didn’t see any red flags. I guess that’s easier to notice when you think like a man. The morals leave the room when it comes to most of us. Seeing her now—I can tell she wasn’t letting anything get to her. It’s written all in her body language and shows in the way she looks. And my god, does she look gorgeous.
We spent hours in the water—just like old times. The waves 27
FAKING FOREVER
were perfect, and so was each second spent on it. It seemed like the moment the fun began, it was over, and the sun was setting before our eyes. I hadn’t been this eager since I was a child.
Webothturned into children for a little while. Splashing each other, creating stupid competitions—the whole nine. She didn’t want it to end. Admittedly, I didn’t either. We behaved as though this was the only day we would have together.
The sunset acted similar to streetlights for us in the sense that it meant it was time to cool off. In the past, routinely, we would watch the sun go down until the last few seconds, and then we would race back to shore. Nothing had changed. It was clockwork for us now. Time didn’t change a damn thing between us. The most enormous weight had been lifted from my body now that she was home.
“I know it’s been less than two years, but I expected things to be so different,” Paisley says, sitting on her board, floating beside me.
Taking a glance at her, I work up a response.
“It’s all the same. All that was missing was you.”
We sit in silence for a few seconds before I add to my statement.
“Sierra and I..” I inhale, “We’re different now, and not that Beau is terrible, but he’s kind of a numskull.”
She giggles the sweetest melody. A sound I missed more than words can describe.
“What a corny little line.” she dazzles me with a half-smile.
“I’m so serious.” I say, a serene look on my face as I amuse her with a smile as well, “The only thing that’s changed is maybe our looks. Not in a bad way. You just—well, I’m sure you’ve looked in the mirror.”
She tilts her head, furrowing her brows in curiosity and 28
