Chapter 2

2

I didn't have very many friends then. Alex and Avery were all I had for almost eighteen years. They were my inner circle and all I needed.

But then I met a random stranger one afternoon while I was deep in my thoughts, sitting by the river. I had been conflicted in my feelings about my relationship at the time. It was my first relationship, sweet and soft in the beginning, but he was starting to get more invested. I could feel myself pull away the more he wanted to be near me.

This stranger had pulled me from my thoughts. I never had someone I could talk to for hours like that. It was the first time in a while that my head didn't feel so clouded. It was like he swiped his hand through the fog, and it cleared immediately.

I won't lie, I had walked along the river seeking him out those next couple of days before it had become a regular occurrence and Reece had become one of my closest friends. Someone I could spill all my secrets and darkest dreams to that I had once been scared to share with anyone.

He had no connection in my life nor me in his life, as we were both from a different school. I could tell him anything and I knew that it wouldn't be told to anyone else.

But then, our anonymity was torn apart when Liam, my boyfriend at the time, invited me to one of his baseball games and introduced me to Reece, his best friend.

I had told Reece so many awful things about my two-month relationship with Liam. I couldn't blame him for not wanting to be near me after finding out it was his best friend I was dating. It was hard to know that information when they went to separate schools.

Now, nine months later, with essentially no contact since that day, there he was, standing in front of me with the brightest smile and the smallest hint of dimples that I had missed seeing so much like nothing had happened.

It was like my brain couldn't connect to my mouth, and anything I wanted to say caught in my throat.

I had so many questions. So many apologies. So much I wanted to share with him.

But I had stood there, mouth agape as I tried to process and piece together some semblance of thought that clouded my head.

Amusement shone in his eyes as he strolled closer, suitcase in tow.

"Have I actually caught the Dakota Summers speechless?"

And with the smooth drawl of his voice, it was like magic: all my thoughts vanished and shook me into motion, the words tumbling from my mouth without a second thought.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't have that much control over me." His teeth showed as he grinned wider with my words. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes flicked behind me, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck as he shrugged. "You know, airports and their allure. I just love hanging out here."

I smirked. "You're such a smartass."

But he always knew how to make me smile.

He shook his head, his lips lifting as he raked his fingers through the dark brown curls on his head. The usual baseball cap he wore was missing.

I always loved his hair and the way it felt through my fingers when I brushed it from his face, comforting him when he felt overwhelmed on those evenings by the water.

"Me and the guys are on our way to Airlie Beach for the week, celebrating the end of school. Heard it was the place to be. What about you?"

Shock flooded through me as what he said sunk in. This was some weird coincidence, both of us going to Airlie Beach.

I had heard that the other baseball players on his team who were graduating were going to the Gold Coast, and I assumed they all organised together.

But clearly, I had been wrong.

"Really? You're joking right?"

I was in clear disbelief which made Reece tilt his head and furrow his brows.

"Why would I be joking?"

"Because there's no way we're both going there by coincidence."

His brows skyrocketed, and his eyes widened. No one I knew ever talked about travelling to a different schoolies venue. It was always the Gold Coast, as it was the biggest and closest. I never knew about other venues until I started clicking through the website. Diving deep into them all, I found myself stuck on Airlie Beach.

It wasn't leaving the state, but it was better than any holiday I would have ever been on. And I wanted somewhere different and where I wouldn't find people I knew. I wanted fresh sunlight and to breathe for a week. To be away from the pressure building on my shoulders.

His surprise shifted to a smile that spread across all features of his face. His eyes were bright, and dimples appeared on his cheeks.

"Well, this week has gotten a whole lot better."

My lips twitched at that. It was automatic, the way our banter came to us easily, even after nine months apart.

I hummed, tapping a finger against my lips. "I think I better cancel then. Can't risk you having a good time."

He pressed his lips into a thin line as he took on an expression of faux seriousness. But his mouth ticked as he tried to squash them from rising and lifted a brow. "Now that's a little mean. I hear the views are quite nice up there this time of year. Especially this week."

I breathed a laugh from my nose and rolled my eyes. "I hope you're not talking about yourself ."

That had his lips pulling up, bright and broad. "You said it, not me."

"Keep dreaming, Fischer," I said. I went to nudge his shoulder, but he caught my hand before I could, bringing us closer together with our chests mere inches apart.

"You're always in my dreams, Summers." His eyes were bright and full of amusement. It was like all that time had disappeared and a wedge wasn't forged between us.

We were us again. A friendship that brewed in the evenings by the water.

Someone cleared their throat, snapping us out of the bubble we were absorbed in. The cool wind replaced the warmth of his hand as he dropped it in his haste to step back from me.

"I think maybe we should go check in and find our flight, should we not? Or, you know, you guys can stay here and we will catch the flight and have fun in Airlie." Avery wore a sarcastic smile while throwing a thumb over her shoulder. This was her way of telling me she would very much like to get settled and know where she was going before boarding time.

She needed to be early, and organised; otherwise, her anxiety would lead her to panic if we weren't where we needed to be at the right time. We had to be at least fifteen minutes early for every movie, dinner reservation, train, or bus ride. There had only been a couple of times in the years we had been friends when we had been running late for something, and her anxiety flared up.

She guided me, Alex, and Reece through the airport. Reece's friends, Jake and Sage, who I didn't see before Avery interrupted us, followed close behind. I greeted Reece's friends, having only met them once before. Jake was the more talkative one, filling me in on all things baseball.

I tried to concentrate, but I couldn't shake the feel of Reece's eyes on me. It was like a laser shooting through the side of my head and warming my cheeks. The more I met his gaze, regret became more pronounced as we moved further through the airport. Once we were through security and had a bit of time to grab something to eat, he pulled me to the back of our group, out of earshot.

"I wanted to apologise. I know I was a bit of a… dick, shall we say, towards you." His statement made me laugh and his lips twitched before it disappeared. "I know none of this will make up for me acting distant and cold towards you, but I am sorry. I just…"

His voice died off and his lips pressed together. It was like he was trying to piece together his thoughts while mine had flashed back to those moments. From the second he ghosted me, then completely ignored my existence when he came to visit my brother after becoming friends playing baseball.

They were close during Nate's last season before he moved away; Reece was the only friend Nate had over. I never attended any of Nate or Liam's baseball games so I never met their friends. It was just my luck for this to happen right after Liam and I broke up.

Reece seemed to be over at least twice a week for those few weeks. They'd always retreat straight to Nate's room to play video games. Reece would ignore me, walking straight past me if I was anywhere near the path towards my brother's room. That continued for a month before Nate's departure at the end of February and it was the last time I saw Reece.

But now, it felt like none of that time passed.

I interrupted, "It's okay. I guess I can forgive you. As long as you don't disappear on me again because, you know." I tilted my face to look at him as we walked. "I do value you as a friend, Reece."

He met my eyes at that, gaze soft with a ghost of a smile.

It was the truth. I told Reece things I could never tell anyone and it was nice to be able to share things in confidence without getting unsolicited advice in return. He was kind of an outlet for the thoughts and emotions I kept to myself and vice versa. He took what I said and threw back whatever wild thoughts he had in his head for me to absorb.

With the seriousness the conversation was heading, I decided to lighten it when I leaned in to whisper the next bit, "Just don't go falling for me. I'll break your heart."

Something passed through his eyes then, but was gone in the next moment before he chuckled. "Look who's dreaming now."

I lightly punched his arm and he feigned being wounded before he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and messed with my hair. I pushed him away as he snorted while I fixed my hair.

After boarding the plane, it collectively sunk in for everyone where we were and where we were headed. Avery breathed out a sigh, Alex could not stop smiling, and I sank into my seat right after putting my phone on airplane mode. A weight came off me at that moment.

It was only an hour and a half flight and the tires were touching down on the tarmac before we knew it. There were trees upon trees with no signs of life apart from the tiny little airport we had arrived at. A shuttle bus took us from the airport to our hotel along the coastline. The three of us sat right in the back with Reece and his friends in the row in front of us.

I'd been to the beach many times before, but this felt different. Maybe it was because this was my first holiday without my parents around. Or maybe it was the different scenery. The vast blue water with no end, knowing that underneath there was a world of coral and a variety of sea life. That was what I was most excited for: exploring just a tiny part of the Great Barrier Reef.

I was so mesmerized by all the scenery buzzing past us that I didn't realize when we had pulled up at our hotel. There was so much to see that I was afraid to blink and miss any of it.

We prepared to disembark when I noticed Reece and his friends not moving. There were about eight hotels to choose from on the site, and we'd already passed three of them.

"I guess this is where we part," he said with a hand on his heart and a sparkle in his eye.

I maintained character as I placed my own hand to cover my heart. "It has been a pleasure being in your company."

"And as with you."

I cracked with a smile and a shake of my head, but as I went to pass him, he grabbed my arm to halt me.

"You still have my number, right?"

I nodded. Of course, I still had it. I could have never deleted it, even if we never spoke for another five years.

He grinned. "Good. I'll call you later."

With that, I climbed off the bus, and we gathered our suitcases. Checking in was quick, as there were only a couple of people in line in front. Before we knew it, we were in our room, crashing on the bed with a sigh.

"Oh, this is going to be a great week. I'm gonna sleep like a baby and wake up to beach views. What a dream," Alex sighed as he closed his eyes and nuzzled into the bed closest to the window.

I hummed in agreement from the bed next to him, staring through the big open window to the left of the beds at the vast ocean views and the buildings below.

Only a week of freedom. Then I would go back to the stifling weight of decisions of my future, brought forth by my mother and her need for reassurance and control over everyone's life.

I was going to soak up every bit of the feeling being there gave me for as long as it lasted.