Page 160 of Our Scorching Summer

“Please, Nico,” I interrupt him, afraid of the next syllables about to fall from his lips.

They’re words I know any woman who has ever spent time with him would beg to hear. But here I am, summoning every ounce of willpower to stop them.

“Let’s not make this more complicated than it already is,” I say. “We clearly messed up our rules, and digging ourselves deeper with feelings will only make this harder. After we’re done touring Cyprus, you’re off to California, and I’m going home to New York. I need to sort out the mess that’s become my life.”

“I don’t have to go back to California.” The truth falls between us, leisurely stretching each second like a ripple in a lake. “There are some meetings I’ll need to take in person at the Viggle headquarters, but I can easily move back to the city. I only relocated to California ’cause Luca and Avery moved in together.”

“And what happens if you move back to New York? When you begin getting antsy after being in the same place for six months? Maybe, eventually, you’ll even get tired of me.” My voice trembles in my throat.

Nico blinks at me through his tired eyes as if he’s a puppy I’ve left out in the rain.

“Then,” I continue, “when you do set off on one of your lengthy adventures, maybe you’ll just forget to charge your phone, and we’ll simply cease to exist in each other’s lives. No contact. No calls. Nothing.”

“Hey, I’ve gotten better with my phone.”

There’s a reflection of hope in his eyes, but my heart feels about a hundred miles from my head. I can’t let this happen yet. I’m barely able to sort through the rational thoughts in my mind. There’s no space for feelings right now.

“Besides, I could never tire of you, Lily. You’re you. And not everything needs to be so black and white. If I start to feel restless, we could take another trip. We can figure it out together.”

I do my best to ignore the building blocks he’s put before me, a peace offering of sorts meant to say,Hey, we got this, even if it’ll take some work.

Buttogetheris as absent from my vocabulary as a particular four-letter word hanging potently between us, I’m not quite ready to fold and admit the truth.

“How often have you called Luca since we got here?”

“Once, but it’s different with my family.” Nico tries reaching for my hand, but I pull away. “I don’t exactly want to be lectured every single day by my brother, and my parents know I’ll always check in when I get back.”

“Any relationship needs more than just one call every few weeks. It wouldn’t work, Nico.”

There’s no use in being oblivious. He would pluck stars from the sky if I asked him to. And hehaschanged. He made a plan for the summer, kept up with my carefully structured morning routine, and even started preventing his phone battery from falling below 50 percent since we landed in London.

But it’s temporary. This summer has not been rooted in reality.

In the real world, with a sea of temptations and obligations, where Nico and I aren’t spending every second of every day around each other, the foundation we built this summer will turn to dust.

He abandons the table, the chair scraping against the floor. A shiver runs up my spine as he returns to the griddle. “I get it.”

“We agreed to this as friends.”

“You’re right, Lil. Let’s just stick to the original agreement until the end of summer. Just friends.”

* * *

July 22nd

Hello,lovers,

It’s been a minute.

I’m fucked and not in a way I particularly enjoy. My novellaCoastal Flinghas been illegally uploaded for international print distribution without my consent or knowledge. I urge all my international fans to not purchase copies of the fake version of my book.

I want to thank you all for your support as I work through this difficult time.

Kisses from me to you,

Zoe Mona

Chapter33

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