into life soon, coloring the space. It’s also vacant of the noise and chaos.
“Are you having fun?” Arlo asks.
I nod. “Yeah, but this is crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party that was this fancy, much less a college party.”
He laughs. “Ian’s parents bought a second house over in Paris this year, and they’ve been living over there and let him stay here.”
“I grew up in a two-bedroom apartment, and I can still remember entire years where my mom could only afford to put five bucks in the gas tank at a time. This is nuts.”
Arlo nods. “I hear you. This isn’t how I grew up, either.” He takes a seat on the stone steps, stretching his legs out in front of him.
“Are you feeling okay?” I ask him.
He nods. “Just a little sore. How are you feeling?”
I giggle. I don’t know why I’m giggling, but I am. “I feel happy,” I tell him. “And surprisingly warm.”
“That might be the punch.” His gaze travels to my almost empty glass.
I giggle again, and though I can hear a faint voice in the back of my head telling me to stop, I can’t—I don’t want to. I’m enjoying this feeling.
He grins, shaking his head. “It looked like you were having a good time. I came by like three times, and you were talking to the same guy. I hope I didn’t interrupt.”
“No,” I say too quickly. “No,” I say again, shaking my head. “I was not … no. He’s not my type.”
“Oh yeah? What’s your type?” He leans closer, then stops, leaving several inches between us.
My heart pounds in my chest—making me feel light-headed and too warm as I wonder if he’s flirting with me. “What?” I ask lamely.
He chuckles. “We should probably get you some water.” He moves to stand up.
I shake my head. “Just give me a few more minutes. I feel like I haven’t been outside in months except for walking to and from class or work.”
Arlo slowly stretches his legs back out. “You’re leaving on March twentieth?”
I nod. “Twenty-two days.”
“And you’ll be gone a week?” I nod, and so does he.
“Well, we’ve got some stuff to do in that time because there’s no way you can return to Texas without having experienced Seattle. I can’t allow it.”
“You have football and physical therapy and classes.”
“And work. What’s your point?”
I laugh, and I’m not even sure if it’s the alcohol or just the thought of getting out of my apartment and doing something new that has me trying to catch my breath. “Okay, what do you want to do?”
He cocks his head, his eyebrows ticking up a notch like I’ve said something provocative. Then I wonder if I did. Did I flirt? Was I sitting too close?
“Well, Rae Rae works at the aquarium, and she’s adamant we start there.”
“You guys are close.” It isn’t a question. The bond they all share was obvious.
He nods. “They’ve become family.”
“That’s cool,” I tell him. “They seem really nice.”
“They’re assholes—the best group of assholes imaginable.”
I laugh, feeling the burn in my cheeks from smiling so wide.
And it feels so damn good and freeing that I wish I could spend the rest of the night out here talking about everything and nothing.
17
Arlo
Liv hugs Rose, saying something to her that I can’t hear over the music. Behind her, Ian winks at me. He likes Rose, and I knew that, though I wasn’t about to tell her.
“Hey.”
I turn at the familiar voice and catch Jade. Her dark brown eyes are filled with accusation.
“Looks like you moved on fast,” she says.
“What…?”
…Are you doing?
…Are you talking about?
…Are you doing talking to me now? Here?
“You remember that you’re the one who called things off, right?”
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Because you told me you didn’t want anything serious.”
“I said that five months ago, and we continued to hang out and do whatever we were doing for three months.”
“So, this is my fault?”
“No. Jade…” I take a deep breath, knowing this isn’t her. Jade isn’t the bitch she’s coming across as tonight. She watched marathons of Family guy with me over Christmas break and would wake up early to bake me chocolate chip cookies on game days, and being with her had me out of the party scene for months because I’d felt content and happy. “Those two are my friends. Just friends.”
She tips her head as though trying to read my sincerity, and then her eyes fall closed, and she takes a deep breath. Her