Toe the Line(14)

“What room are you sleeping in tonight?” he asked.

“My old one.”

He nodded. “I’ll probably take the bedroom down here.”

That shouldn’t have come as a surprise. I’d wondered, though, if maybe he’d sleep in the room adjacent to mine for old times’ sake. Hiding my slight disappointment, I folded my hands together. “There’s plenty of space to choose from, right?”

Him sleeping downstairs was probably better anyway. I knew Archie would never cheat on his girlfriend—excuse me, fiancée—but knowing he was right next door would likely ignite old feelings in me that were better kept buried.

Eventually, I helped Archie finish cleaning up the mess we’d made. Then we sat out back and gazed up at the stars. It was a beautiful, clear evening on Whaite’s Island, albeit a little cool. I had a knit blanket from the living room couch over myself as I sat on the Adirondack chair.

Archie looked up at the sky. “Do you think we’re making the right decision about selling this place?”

“I do. My parents agree that it’s the best time to sell.”

“It just…feels like the last piece of that simpler time.”

“I know,” I whispered.

“That was the best summer of my life, you know.”

Turning to him, I nodded in agreement.

“And maybe also the worst,” he added.

We stared at each other in silence.

I wanted to say so much, but I was afraid of what opening up even a little would cause me to say next. Because there was a lot I wanted to tell Archie right now. I wanted to tell him I loved him—as more than a friend. That I’d always loved him, from that first summer we lived together. It had taken me a long time to figure out that my inability to love Shane the way he deserved was probably because I’d been harboring feelings for Archie.

Instead, I cowered. I said nothing but wondered if everything would come flooding out before the end of this weekend.

One thing was for certain: if there was ever a time to tell Archie Remington how I truly felt, it was now. I might not have another chance.

? ? ?

A loud knock woke me the next morning.

My groggy eyes fluttered open. What the?

His deep voice was grating as he spoke from behind the door. “Come on, Benedict. You’re late for our run.”

I looked at my phone. 6 AM. Our old running time. “Run?” I rubbed my eyes. “I don’t do that anymore.”

“Are you serious? You used to be so disciplined.”

“I know. I lost my mojo a while back.”

He clapped his hands. “Well, chop chop! Time to get your mojo back.”

I straightened up and looked out toward the sunrise, then at the still-closed door. I could sense his presence there. “You’re not going to let me get out of this, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

I dragged my ass out of bed. “Okay, give me a minute to get dressed.”

“I’ll grab some coffee and wait downstairs for you.”

My mouth curved into a smile. “Since when do you drink coffee, Remington?”

“I started about a year ago. I think of you every time I drink it. Now I’m hooked.”

He pounded on the door one last time, and I heard his footsteps fade into the distance. Still half asleep, I took my time getting dressed.

When I joined him in the kitchen, Archie’s eyes very obviously traced over the revealing athletic tank top and tight Spandex shorts I’d put on. What can I say? If Mariah was going to have him forever, I at least wanted to borrow his admiration this weekend. It’s just innocent fun, I told myself. Nothing more.

“I thought you said you were getting…dressed.” He swallowed. “I think you might have accidentally gotten undressed.”

I shrugged. “It’s hot out.”

Archie cleared his throat. “True.”

In that moment, I realized for the first time in years that I did still have an effect on him. Physical chemistry was hard to gauge from across the continent. Then again, I’d never put it to the test the way I had just now.

Archie waited for me to gulp down some coffee.

After about five minutes, we left the house, hit the gravel, and took off down the road. The warm ocean breeze followed, the salty air like an old friend. How I’d missed this feeling—Archie running alongside me.

It was smooth and uneventful for about thirty minutes until Archie suddenly stopped. His face went white as he panted. “Can we take a break for a minute?”

“What’s wrong?”

I wasn’t even sure why I’d asked. Because as I watched him clutch his chest and gasp for air, I knew exactly what was happening. Let’s just say, it wasn’t Archie’s first rodeo.





CHAPTER 6


NOELLE


PAST



WHEN I ARRIVED at the beach, Archie was already set up in his usual spot. Bree was once again glued to his side, with a beer in hand. I did my best to ignore Cici and the old crew on the other side of the bonfire. She probably wondered why I’d abandoned their ship, though it was possible Xavier had badmouthed me to her.

Archie waved when he spotted me approaching his group.

“We were talking about heading to the cliff walk tonight,” James said.