Twenty-Six

 

 

Linc

 

There was a party after the reception that I was really keen on skipping. I had a girlfriend I wanted to spend as much time alone with as possible. But things rarely worked out the way I’d hoped. The after party somehow ended up occurring in our room. Well, Indie’s room, because Jack-ass had the key and let everyone in, but the connecting door meant my room was open for all as well.

It had probably been the most stressful night I’d ever had. Nate being okay with me and Indie meant a lot. The fact that he had known for years and hadn’t said anything was surprising, though. If it had been the other way around, I would have been pissed, then I’d have come around and dealt with it and probably ended up teasing him about it constantly. But all he said was, “About time,” and that was it.

The fact that Nate had been so cool about it gave me the confidence to speak to their parents. I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I had been earlier when I was convinced I was a dead man. And again, they surprised me. Sure, they were a little disappointed they had to find out by catching us hiding in a corner, but they understood our hesitation at announcing it straight away, and after I reassured them I had her best interests at heart, and I intended to marry her one day, they were thrilled.

All that lying to ourselves and everyone else, all that sneaking around and petty games, and it was all for nothing. We had nothing to worry about at all. Everyone was happy for us. They’d taken bets, for crying out loud, on when we’d get together officially. Jack had taken that bet with more than just Nate, and if my calculations were correct, he was about two grand richer right now, which might explain all the champagne he ordered from room service. He had better be fixing up that bill when we checked out.

Indie’s laughter floated across the room, catching my attention immediately. She was giggling at something Kenzie had said, and I stood mesmerised by her and her smile.

“So, how does it feel?” Brody came and stood beside me.

“What?”

“Being whipped.” He laughed.

“Feels like I got the girl. Finally.” I smiled at Indie, who had noticed I was watching her.

“Took you long enough.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I shrugged, not really caring that it took a long time. I had a lifetime to make up for the time we missed.

“Harper and I have been talking again,” Brody murmured.

“Again? What do you mean?”

“Geez, man, you’ve been living under a rock this week. Or is it because I don’t wear a skirt and go by the name of Indie that you don’t pay any attention to me?” He shook his head.

“Sorry, I have been kind of preoccupied. Tell me what you mean by ‘again.’”

“If you paid attention, you would have known Harper and I dated a few years ago, back when she was just starting at uni, but for whatever reasons, it didn’t work out. After a while, she moved back to Blackhill, and I stayed in the city to finish my degree.”

“You guys dated and broke up. How did we not know about this?” I didn’t remember him having a girlfriend while away at school.

“Nate knew.”

“Of course, he did.” Nate knew everything, didn’t he? “So?”

“So, what?”

“You and Harper?”

“Nah, man, nothing. It was just weird running into her here of all places after so long,” Brody said, walking away.

“Right,” I said with a nod. I was pretty sure there was more to the story, but I really didn’t care. I just wanted to kick everyone out and get Indie all to myself, but instead, I followed Brody out to the balcony where the guys were hanging around drinking beers.

The sun was almost up when everyone decided to call it a night and go back to their rooms. Indie was tidying up the room when I grabbed her hand and dragged her out the door.

“Linc, what are we doing?” she whispered as we rushed down the hallway to the elevators.

“I want to see something,” I said, pushing her in the elevator and kissing her quickly.

Once the elevator reached the bottom floor, I led Indie outside and to the beach, where I collapsed on the sand and pulled her down with me.

“What—” she began to ask, but I cut her off with a kiss.

“Just watch.”

We sat quietly on the warm sand and watched the sun gradually rise on the horizon. “I wanted to see the sunrise at least once while being here.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her shoulder. “But every morning, I’ve been too preoccupied with watching you sleep that I’ve always missed it.”

“Sorry about that,” she teased.

“I’m not. I enjoyed myself.”

“This is nice. I wish this week didn’t have to end,” she said quietly, leaning her head back on my shoulder.

“Me too. But we’ve got more than this week together.” I tightened my arms around her waist.

“No, we don’t. I leave for uni in a couple of days and don’t graduate for months.”

“We’ve waited fifteen years for this, Indie. A few months won’t kill us.” I hoped I was right but feared I couldn’t be more wrong. Sure, we’d waited fifteen years, but now I had her in my arms and in my bed, I didn’t think I could let go.

“I’ll come home every holiday and weekend,” she insisted.

“And I’ll come to you every other weekend and holiday. We can do this, Ace.” I was determined to do this. I wouldn’t let distance ruin us. I gazed at the horizon as the first sliver of light appeared over the water. “Look.” I pointed at the sunrise. The sky was a blend of pink, purple, and orange.

Indie was quiet as we watched the sun, and I knew it was because she was thinking about what leaving here meant for us. I let her think, knowing she’d speak when she was ready.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing me out here,” she said after a while.

“Anytime, Ace. Come on. Let’s go to bed.”