Page 39 of Entangled

I did it. I made it through what will probably be one of the hardest steps of this trip with all my parts intact.

The salt-laced ocean air tickles my nose and Coop inevitably comes to mind, ruining my newfound peace. It would almost be funny if it wasn’t so cruel. I used to think that being at the beach was one of the most renewing things for the soul. And then I loved it because, in a way, the ocean and the stars became a representation of us to me. Now… Well, now it’s all muddied, just like so many other things we shared.

I wonder if he’s out there right now, feeling the same thing or if—

No. Don’t go there, El.

Don’t go down that rabbit hole of what-ifs and misery.

I hear Jace making his way up the stairs several minutes later, interrupting my pity party, and open my eyes, blinking against the sun. Lifting my head, I see him stepping onto the deck with two plates of pasta and the wine in hand.

Oh thank God. He brought me carbs. Carbs heal all wounds.

“So some would argue that reheated pasta isn’t as good as fresh.” He gives me a grin and passes over a plate. “And they would be right. But I figured you might overlook it just this once given your obvious culinary skills.”

“Ha. Ha.” I roll my eyes at him and set my glass down on the deck.

He takes the seat next to me and swirls his fork into the noodles, voice coming out serious. “How’s that cabbage doing?”

I swirl some of my own noodles, recognizing the dish as carbonara, and hum in thought before answering. “I’ve named her Jacky and decided she’s going to replace you as my friend here.” I throw him a bratty smirk before popping the noodles into my mouth.

Damn, that’s good. Even reheated.

He swallows his food and chuckles. “Is that what we are? Friends?”

I lift a shoulder in a half shrug, finishing off another bite. “Would you prefer childhood enemies?”

“I guess not,” he muses, eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement. “Friends it is. Although, we were never exactly enemies. More like sib— Actually, not at all like siblings. Let’s go with forced playmates.” His brows pull down just a bit and he pauses, fork held midair. “I remember asking about you… after. Even though I considered you the bane of my existence when you were here, I missed you after you were gone. That much I know.”

I look away and finish chewing my food slowly before answering him honestly. “I wish I could remember. It’s just all these tiny snippets of memories.”

He looks at me consideringly for a moment. “Could be better that you don’t.”

I eat a few more bites before reaching down to pick up my wine and taking a sip. “Maybe.”

Probably.

“So tell me, Eleanor Delacroix. What have you been up to since you were five years old?”

I snort a laugh at his question, tilting my head back and rolling it toward him. “Would you like the whole story or just the highlights?”

“Mix it up a bit for me.” His eyes twinkle. “I’ve never been a vanilla kind of guy.”

I quickly lose the fight against the twitching of my lips, something about his playfulness calling to mine. “Of that I have no doubt, Dawson.” Sighing, I look back up to the sky. “Let’s see. I moved to LA with my aunt Yvie, had a pretty standard upbringing there. Was a little bit of a heathen growing up with my three best friends, Stef, Mac, and Kai. They’re really like my family though.”

“Wait,” he interjects, voice full of curiosity. “You have three guy best friends?”

“Yes.” I give him a warning look. “And no, I haven’t slept with any of them, not that it’s any of your business.”

“I wasn’t implying that.” He sets down his plate and grabs his own glass of wine. “I could actually see that given your uh, sparkling personality.”

I narrow my eyes at him, forcing my face to stay serious. “Asshole.”

He chuckles as I lift my head and pop one last bite of food into my mouth before setting my plate down on the deck.

“No. No. It’s a good thing. Please.” He waves a hand. “Continue.”

I give him another scolding look before continuing my narrative. “Went to Berkeley. Majored in photography. Graduated last year and…” I pause, halting at my summer in Costa Rica, figuring out the easiest way to gloss over it. “Spent my summer lounging around on the beach and working on my portfolio before heading to Europe for the rest of the year. Then I went home for about a month and came here.”

---