Page 36 of Chasing Stars
“Will you stay with me tonight?” I sound desperate, and I don’t mean how it comes out, but suddenly I really don’t want to go in there alone. “It’s just…reallylonely in there.” I cast my eyes downward, not daring to see him tell me no.
Miles exhales. “Tell you what? How about I stay until you fall asleep? I can’t leave Pete alone.”
I nod. For tonight, that would have to be enough.
The last thingI remember before falling asleep is Miles sitting at the end of my childhood bed, whispering that he’d call me tomorrow. How is it, then, that the smell of brewing coffee wakes me up on Sunday morning? I glance at my phone on the bedside table: ten fifteen a.m.
I lurch out of bed, irrationally suspecting an intruder. Sometime during the night, I kicked off my pajama pants. I throw them on and jog down the steps, the scent of coffee and breakfast growing stronger the closer I get. Then I’m in the doorway, finding Miles standing in my ancient kitchen, scrambling eggs. Pete is at his feet, waiting for something to fall. There’s a coffee pot on my counter that wasn’t there before.
I clear my throat, and Miles spins around, a you-caught-me grin on his face. “Good morning,” he says jovially, a stark contrast from last night’s demeanor.
Pete runs over to me and sits at my feet, pushing his face into my legs so I’ll pet him.
“Uh…hi,” I say, with a curious quirk of my eyebrow. I ruffle Pete’s ear.
“There’s coffee.” Miles gestures to the new coffee pot. The open box sits on the kitchen table.He remembered I didn’t have a working coffee pot, and he got me one.My heartbeat flutters.
“Thank you…” I walk over and reach for a mug in the upper cabinet, then go to the sink to rinse the dust out of it. I pour myself a cup of what smells like pumpkin flavored coffee, thenwhirl around to face him. He’s stirring the eggs, whistling. “Miles.”
He turns, as if he knows exactly what I’m going to say. His eyes have a mischievous twinkle.Caught.
“What are youdoinghere?” I furrow my brow. “I thought you went home last night.”
Miles walks over to the fridge and takes out a carton of half-and-half, passing it to me. “Oh, I did,” he assures me, shaking his head vigorously.
“Okay…” That doesn’t answer my question. “So, why are you here now?”
Miles shrugs. “Pete and I are early risers. I remembered you don’t have a coffee pot, so we drove up the parkway and bought you one from Target. You weren’t awake when we got back, so…” He holds up his hands as if to say,here I am.
I pour some half-and-half in my mug and sit down at the table. Shaking my head in confusion, I look at him. “So…you just let yourself in?”
Miles scrunches up his face and scratches the back of his head. “Okay, yeah, maybe that wasn’t my wisest idea. I could have left it on your porch. But I wanted you to have some right away when you woke up.” He starts dishing the eggs onto some plates as toast pops out of my parents' ancient toaster.
My heart swells. Miles woke up thinking about me, and we haven’t even hooked up.What on earth is going on here?“If it were anyone else, I’d be calling the police,” I say, with a sigh because I already know I can’t be mad at him.
Miles places a plate in front of me and sits down next to me. “I know. But, you should know—it was all Pete’s idea.” He glances at the dog, sitting like a patient boy, hoping for some scraps.
I laugh. “Well, Pete’s heart was in the right place. I guess I can forgive him.” I pat Pete’s head and take a bite of mybreakfast. For the next two minutes, Miles and I eat in silence, smiling at each other like lovestruck teenagers, neither of us knowing what to say next.
Finally, Miles clears his throat and reaches for my free hand. “Jenna,” he says, his voice serious.
“Miles?” I grin at him, mocking his tone.
“Would you like to come surfing with me today?” His eyebrows raise and a smile tugs at his mouth.
“It would be my pleasure.” I grin. And that’s not an exaggeration.
18
MILES
After dropping Pete off at my condo, I take Jenna back to the same beach where she learned to surf. It’s a bit more crowded today, and as soon as we pull into the parking lot, I can tell she’s nervous. She’s wearing Erin’s wet suit again with her wavy hair piled on top of her head. She’s chewing on that lip like it’s candy. And she is gorgeous. “You good?” I ask with a small smile. I’m excited, this is the first time I will be able to surf beside her. I am looking forward to lying on the board next to her and paddling in for the same wave. Jenna does not appear to be on the same page.
She stares out the windshield, eyes locked on the water. “The waves are really big today.”
“They are,” I agree.
She swallows hard. “There is a hurricane coming up the coast later this week. That’s probably why. I should have checked the surf report.” I reach for her hand. “It’s okay if you’d rather watch today.”
