Page 96 of Still Here Without You

“I’m still here.”

Fuck!

“Hi, Joel.”

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve seen each other, and like always, one look in his eyes has me falling all over again. His lips pull up into a soft smile before he looks between Summer and me.

“Are you here to see me?” he asks, his eyebrows pulling together as a confused look plays on his face.

“Um, no, actually…”Shit. Is this going to get Summer in trouble?

“She’s here with me,” Summer admits.

“The fuck? Since when…Are you friends? And is that why you looked panicked when I said I was coming tonight?”

“Yep. To both those things,” Summer says with some sass.I like her.

“Wow, okay. I see where your loyalties lie.”

“Come on, Joel. It’s not like that, and you know it.” She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns.

Joel throws his hands in the air. “I don’t know anything these days.”

Taking a step back, I watch the conversation play out now that I’m no longer a part of it. Dylan walks our way and joins the group, but he doesn’t notice me. He’s too busy looking at the standoff between Summer and Joel. “What’d I miss? Are you two…oh, fuck!” He finally sees me. “Hi, Del.”

“Oh, fuck to you too,” I say as Joel looks my way.

Dylan smiles sheepishly and crinkles his nose—something I’ve noticed Summer doing. It’s funny when couples take on each other’s traits. “Sorry, Del. I just wasn’t expecting you.”

“Did you know they were friends?” Joel asks.This really seems to have pissed him off.

“No, Summer and I love lying to each other. It’s our thing. Of course, I knew, jackass. Didn’t you?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, I thought you were going to tell him?” he says, turning to Summer.

“I was, but now’s not the best time to have this conversation…”

If I knew how to shrink away into nothing, I’d be using that skill right now. But since I don’t, I’m stuck watching this play out. I guess I could walk away, but I’m not in the habit of being that rude. Joel turns to me again just as Luke joins the conversation.

“Delilah! How are you?” He drapes his arm around my shoulder and pulls me in close. “Are you joining the talent show?”

I pause for a second and then burst out laughing at the sudden change in conversation. Give it to Luke to break the tension without even meaning to.

All eyes are on me as I try to control myself, but it’s one of those moments where the laughter has a mind of its own, so I cover my face and close my mouth in the hope of stopping it in its tracks.

“What’s so funny?” Luke says, and I lose it again.

“I need a drink,” I say between chuckles, walking away without looking back.

I manage to find a bottle of beer and am about to open it when Summer runs up beside me.

“Again, I’m sorry. He wasn’t supposed to be here, and I texted.”

“It’s fine.” I laugh, even though it’s not at all funny. Seeing him always breaks my heart. “I’m just going to grab a drink and call an Uber.”

Summer grabs my wrist gently. “Please stay. I asked Joel to leave you alone, and he promised he would.”

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