she was meant to be there. What the fuck did that mean? Sure, the occasional girl had slept over before, if we fell asleep before I could kick her out, but I had never spent the whole night watching a girl sleep. And then feeling her wake next to me; the smile on her face as she turned in my arms and joked around with me. It was thawing my ice-cold heart, and I didn’t know what in the hell to do with it.
I'd always known that Staci was different, but I hadn't banked on one thing.
Falling for her.
The revelation blindsided me. She obviously had a lot of shit going on that she wasn't ready to talk about, and I had my own stuff to deal with. And yet, here we were...again.
“Ford, everything okay in there?” Her voice drifted in the bathroom, and I splashed some water on my face trying to get a grip on things.
“I’m coming. Breakfast?”
“Sure,” she called back.
Armed with fruit juice and cold ready-made pancakes, I rejoined Staci in bed.
“Wow, breakfast in bed. I should bitch at you more often.”
“Don’t get too excited; the pancakes are cold and the juice might be out of date.”
She huffed, snatching a pancake off the plate and picking it apart with her fingers. “It’ll do.”
“That is the most unsexy thing I’ve ever seen.”
She swallowed and grunted. “I thought we were past that stage, friend ?”
“Friends now, is it? And here was me thinking you decided not to take me up on my offer, friend .”
Staci clapped her hands together. “If we are going to try this friend thing you speak of, perhaps it’s time we did something else besides each other.”
I almost choked on my mouthful of pancake, spraying food into the air. There was the glimmer of the girl I had met all those years ago.
“What did you have in mind?”
“How do you feel about a road trip?”
“Road trip? Today?” My face creased, wondering where she was going with this.
“Well, yeah. We’d have to take your truck, though.”
“And where will this road trip take us?”
Her whole face lit up as she said, “The beach.”
“The beach…is miles away.”
“I know; hence, road trip.”
My eyes darted to the window. There was no sign of the sun, just a thick layer of cloud, and wasn’t it a little late in the season for the beach?
“Don’t tell me that you’re one of those guys?”
Cocking a brow, I said, “Those guys?”
Staci rolled her eyes and jumped off the bed. “We’ll find out soon enough. I’ll need to swing by Lou’s first for some fresh clothes and then we can head out.”
I watched her sashay away from me, still reeling from her personality transplant.
~ Staci ~
An hour into our road trip, I was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. The conversation had been easy between us—that wasn’t the problem. It was me. My mood swings were giving me whiplash; I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Kade thought about me. The crazy split-personality girl who was making him drive eighty miles across the state to the beach. In November. But I’d woken up in his arms and felt relieved. At ease. I wanted to cling to that feeling for as long as I could. After hearing Mikey’s voice again—letting him back in, even if just for a second, meant I needed something to ground me.
“Follow the 100, right?” Kade interrupted my cycle of self-doubt.
I checked my road map and nodded. “Yeah. I think so. Oh wait, see there’s a sign. Flagler Beach.”
Kade made the turn, and I settled back into the seat with my legs tucked underneath me; it was one of the advantages of being so short.
“How do you even know about this place?”
I shrugged. “I looked it up when I found out I was moving here.”
“Moving here?”
Realizing my slip, I cringed. “Temporarily. Moving here temporarily.”
“You haven’t talked much about school. How is that going?”
“We haven’t really reached the talking stage yet, friend .”
Kade glanced in my direction and narrowed his eyes. But
I'd always known that Staci was different, but I hadn't banked on one thing.
Falling for her.
The revelation blindsided me. She obviously had a lot of shit going on that she wasn't ready to talk about, and I had my own stuff to deal with. And yet, here we were...again.
“Ford, everything okay in there?” Her voice drifted in the bathroom, and I splashed some water on my face trying to get a grip on things.
“I’m coming. Breakfast?”
“Sure,” she called back.
Armed with fruit juice and cold ready-made pancakes, I rejoined Staci in bed.
“Wow, breakfast in bed. I should bitch at you more often.”
“Don’t get too excited; the pancakes are cold and the juice might be out of date.”
She huffed, snatching a pancake off the plate and picking it apart with her fingers. “It’ll do.”
“That is the most unsexy thing I’ve ever seen.”
She swallowed and grunted. “I thought we were past that stage, friend ?”
“Friends now, is it? And here was me thinking you decided not to take me up on my offer, friend .”
Staci clapped her hands together. “If we are going to try this friend thing you speak of, perhaps it’s time we did something else besides each other.”
I almost choked on my mouthful of pancake, spraying food into the air. There was the glimmer of the girl I had met all those years ago.
“What did you have in mind?”
“How do you feel about a road trip?”
“Road trip? Today?” My face creased, wondering where she was going with this.
“Well, yeah. We’d have to take your truck, though.”
“And where will this road trip take us?”
Her whole face lit up as she said, “The beach.”
“The beach…is miles away.”
“I know; hence, road trip.”
My eyes darted to the window. There was no sign of the sun, just a thick layer of cloud, and wasn’t it a little late in the season for the beach?
“Don’t tell me that you’re one of those guys?”
Cocking a brow, I said, “Those guys?”
Staci rolled her eyes and jumped off the bed. “We’ll find out soon enough. I’ll need to swing by Lou’s first for some fresh clothes and then we can head out.”
I watched her sashay away from me, still reeling from her personality transplant.
~ Staci ~
An hour into our road trip, I was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. The conversation had been easy between us—that wasn’t the problem. It was me. My mood swings were giving me whiplash; I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Kade thought about me. The crazy split-personality girl who was making him drive eighty miles across the state to the beach. In November. But I’d woken up in his arms and felt relieved. At ease. I wanted to cling to that feeling for as long as I could. After hearing Mikey’s voice again—letting him back in, even if just for a second, meant I needed something to ground me.
“Follow the 100, right?” Kade interrupted my cycle of self-doubt.
I checked my road map and nodded. “Yeah. I think so. Oh wait, see there’s a sign. Flagler Beach.”
Kade made the turn, and I settled back into the seat with my legs tucked underneath me; it was one of the advantages of being so short.
“How do you even know about this place?”
I shrugged. “I looked it up when I found out I was moving here.”
“Moving here?”
Realizing my slip, I cringed. “Temporarily. Moving here temporarily.”
“You haven’t talked much about school. How is that going?”
“We haven’t really reached the talking stage yet, friend .”
Kade glanced in my direction and narrowed his eyes. But
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