Down to You by Lauren Lieberman

Author:Lauren Lieberman [Lieberman, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

After dinner, we walk the few blocks over to the beach for the bonfire. Jake and Ashley run ahead to the water while the rest of the group picks a spot on the sand and starts setting it up.

Lucas takes my hand and keeps going. “Let’s go for a walk.” He leads me down the beach, the waves lapping at our feet with our toes in the surf. There are a few groups of people around fires peppered down the shore.

After a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence, he stops at a large piece of driftwood. “Sit with me,” he says, and pulls me onto his lap. I get a fluttery feeling in my chest as I flash back to high school and that first party at John’s where we sat on the lounge chair together after winning beer pong. I laugh quietly to myself as the memory forms in my mind. That was the turning point of my childhood crush, the night the fantasy jumped out of my mind and into reality.

“What’s so funny?” he asks, studying me curiously.

“Nothing, just remembering something from high school,” I say, waving off the memory.

“Tell me,” he probes.

“It’s silly really. I was just thinking about my first senior party and how thrilled I was to finally be hanging out with you.”

He looks at me with amusement. “Really?”

I give him the side-eye. “Oh stop. You know how I felt about you.”

He shakes his head. “I really didn’t. Well, not to that extent. Not until that last year, at least. I was a dumb teenager. Totally blind to what was right in front of me,” he says. “And then I messed it all up,” he adds quietly.

I turn to face him. “We messed it all up.” Then jokingly add, “But really, Jake messed it all up.” I grin at him, trying to lighten the mood.

He’s not laughing; his face is somber. “No, this isn’t on Jake. I should’ve handled it better. And I definitely shouldn’t have just cut and run when things got hard. That wasn’t fair to you. I feel terrible when I think about how abandoned you must have felt. I know how much you liked to hang out with us and how much we meant to you. I truly am sorry for being such a coward.” His tone is laced with remorse.

While I appreciate his sincerity, I’m not in the mindset for a heart-to-heart right now. “Water under the bridge,” I say lightly, and put my arm around his shoulder.

He leans in and presses his lips lightly against mine. I smile against his mouth. A big wave splashes our legs, surprising us both, and I jump out of his lap, yelping.

He laughs at me as he stands up and envelops me in a hug. “Let’s do something just us tomorrow,” he whispers in my ear.

“Okay,” I agree, grinning. I tilt my head up for one last kiss before we make our way back to the group.

We slowly walk back side by side, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

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