Palmer walked into the kitchen followed by a tall, leggy blonde with perfectly blown-out hair and broke the tension that had started to fill the kitchen. They had been talking, but as soon as the blonde noticed Garrett, she let out one of those annoying squeals and threw herself at him. She practically knocked me out of the way as she tackled him.

“Oh my god, Garrett!” She pulled back and ran her fingers through his dark beard before kissing him squarely on the mouth. “You look amazing!”

To Garrett’s credit, he seemed stunned by the woman’s bold display of affection. “Oh, hey, Nikki,” he mumbled once he was finally able to pry her away. Nikki. I instantly hated her. Not because she was gorgeous and fit and her hair was perfect but because she knew Garrett. She knew what it was like to wrap herself around him; she knew what his lips felt like pressed against hers; she knew what it felt like to have his hands on her, touching her, holding her close. Those were things I was desperate to know.

I excused myself from the kitchen, grabbed the tray of steak, and headed out to the sanctuary of Palmer’s backyard. Nikki made every insecurity I had about myself bubble to the surface. I looked down at my navy blue tank dress. I felt short and frumpy compared to Nikki in her body-hugging shorts that showed off legs that went on for days and a too-tight T-shirt that emphasized she had more than just a handful. I toyed nervously with the end of my braid, thinking about her shiny golden waves. Garrett had already chosen her once, so why wouldn’t he pick her again?  

I glanced back at the group gathered in the kitchen. Jackson and Nikki seemed familiar enough as they talked, but it wasn’t hard to decipher her body language and determine that she wasn’t interested in him. Meanwhile, Palmer and Garrett seemed to be deep in conversation. Whatever they were talking about, they both kept sneaking looks out toward the patio, and Palmer appeared angry. He finally threw up his hands and stormed away. I wasn’t expecting him to burst through the patio doors and stop right in front of me.

“Is he the reason you turned me down?” Palmer demanded angrily.

I shrank back against the grill. “What are you talking about, Palmer?”

“Garrett. Did you turn me down again because he’s here?”

Garrett stepped out onto the deck and placed himself almost directly between Palmer and me. He pressed a cautious hand against Palmer’s chest. “Back up, man.”

“Fuck off,” Palmer growled, batting Garrett’s hand away. “Answer me.”

“I’ve already told you I don’t feel anything more than friendship for you,” I told him through gritted teeth. “I’m sorry you don’t want to believe me, but it’s the truth. Please accept it and move on or our friendship is over.”

That wasn’t what Palmer wanted to hear. He spun on his heel, latched onto a patio chair, and shoved it across the deck. I took a step back, bumping into the grill. Just as I started to tumble, Garrett reached out to steady me. He kept a firm hold and brought me closer, which calmed me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jackson and Nikki watching the drama unfold from inside the house.

“Why her?” Palmer roared. “Out of all the women in this goddamn world, why her?”

“Palmer, you need to calm the fuck down,” Garrett said, his voice low and gravelly. I could tell that he was trying his best to keep his cool, but sooner or later, his patience would run out.

“You’re my best friend,” Palmer choked out. “You’re not supposed to steal the girl I’m in love with.”

A bit annoyed at being the crayon these toddlers were fighting over, I interjected. “Doesn’t it matter what I want? You’re acting like this is all about you, Palmer. But what about what I want?” Palmer’s eyes were glossy and wide as they landed on me; the heartbreak he felt over his perceived loss burned deep in them.

Except he wasn’t ready to listen to what I wanted. “Fuck the both of you,” he hissed. He flicked his cold stare to Garrett. “Get out of my house. You’re not welcome here.”

Palmer brushed past us and disappeared into the house. Wordlessly, I walked toward the overturned chair and righted it before straightening the table and arranging the chairs neatly around it. Tidying felt like the best thing I could do to take my mind off the stressful situation. Just keep busy, I told myself. I took the platter of steaks back into the kitchen and covered them before placing them in the refrigerator. When I closed the door, a pair of golden brown eyes were staring directly at me.

“What?” I asked defensively.

“Don’t worry about Palmer too much. He’s a grown man. He’ll get over his hissy fit,” Garrett reassured me.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. He’s asked me out literally every year since the seventh grade.”

“He should still respect you more than that.”

“He should respect you too.”

“I’ll be fine.” Garrett grabbed my hand and pulled me back toward the patio. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

“Garrett, are you okay?” Nikki asked breathlessly as she rushed toward us. Garrett dropped my hand just she clutched him in a tight hug. Stepping back, I looked around the kitchen confused. Where did she even come from?

“I’m fine,” he told her curtly, pushing away from her. “Cami and I were just going for a walk.”

Nikki’s narrowed gaze landed on me. “Oh,” she said dismissively. She turned back to Garrett and put the honey back in her voice. “But I haven’t seen you in so long. I was hoping we could catch up and maybe go out for a drink later.” She licked her lips suggestively.

“I’m sorry, Nikki. Maybe another time,” Garrett replied before turning back to me with a hand extended. “Are you ready?”

I nodded and placed my hand in his. I followed him outside and down to the rocky beach. “Who’s Nikki?” I asked.

“She’s just a friend,” he answered cautiously, but it felt like he was leaving something out. I had the urge to pry for more information, but when Garrett stopped and turned his smoldering gaze on me, I swallowed any other questions.

“I only have two weeks left,” Garrett started to say before tripping over his words. “I have two weeks left of my leave, and I want to spend them with you.”

“You do?” His honesty surprised me, considering he wasn’t exactly forthcoming about Nikki moments ago.

“You sound surprised. Maybe I got the wrong idea. I just thought …” It was cute how Garrett seemed flustered and trailed off. I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped past my lips. I took a step forward and slipped my hand into his. He looked down at our joined hands and studied them intently before lifting them. He extracted his hand from mine, leaving mine to lay flat against his chest. His heartbeat was a rapid tattoo against my palm. “Do you feel that? That’s because of you. You make me excited, Cami. You make me want things I’ve never wanted before.”

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I felt exactly the same way but something—someone—kept me from completely taking the plunge. “You didn’t get the wrong idea,” I told him quietly before slowly removing my hand from his chest and stepping slightly back. “But I don’t want to come between you and anyone else either.”

Garrett scoffed. “Are you talking about Nikki? I told you, she’s just a friend. There’s absolutely nothing going on between us.”

I was still skeptical. “Does she know that?”

“It’s difficult for me to ask this of you, but will you take my word that there’s absolutely nothing going on between us?”

My brain was still wavering, while my heart beat uncontrollably in my chest. “I’ve never felt so strongly about someone like this before. I’m scared.”

“Don’t be scared of me, Cami,” he said with a wink. He settled his hands on my waist and pulled me forward. Nervously, I looked up at him only to become lost in his intense brown eyes. My knees started to tremble with anticipation, and my lips parted expectantly. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against mine so softly that it was barely a kiss.

“Come on. I need to find that asshole and apologize.” My eyes popped open as Garrett tugged on my hand and started to pull me back toward Palmer’s house. My free hand grazed my lips trying to search for that kiss. Did it really happen? Garrett tossed me a look over his shoulder that told me that kiss was definitely real.

Garrett didn’t really have anything to apologize for, but I liked that he was trying to smooth things over between him and Palmer. It showed how much he valued their friendship. We took our time, slowly walking back up the beach, our connected hands swinging lightly between us. A bonfire blazed on the stretch of beach in front of Palmer’s house, and it was clear that he resumed the party without us.

“I thought I told you to get the fuck out of my house,” Palmer growled the moment he saw us climbing the stairs to the deck.

“Palmer, please just listen to what Garrett has to say,” I pleaded with him.

“Listen, I’m sorry. I should have talked to you about this sooner, and I didn’t. I really don’t want this to come between us,” Garrett said, extending his hand toward Palmer.

Palmer scowled at Garrett’s hand for a few tense moments before grasping it tightly. “What can I say, Garrett? You’re clearly the better man.”

Even though they shook hands and claimed to be brothers again, I didn’t think Palmer truly had forgiveness in his heart when he accepted Garrett’s apology. But I hoped that someday he would get there.

Garrett shoved Palmer away from the grill, telling him that he was turning the steaks into leather and that seemed to lighten the mood. I quietly returned to the comfort of the kitchen and prepared the side dishes that would accompany the steaks and took them out onto the patio.

“Hey, Cami, you should come and see Coldplay with us,” Jackson said as we all finished dinner.

“Oh, I’d love to, but I don’t have a ticket.” Coldplay was undoubtedly my favorite band, and even though I’d wanted to see them in concert, I had decided against getting tickets because my dad’s prognosis had been uncertain when tickets first went on sale.

“I have an extra one,” Garrett informed me. “Do you want to go?”

“Of course! Thank you.”

“I wish I could go. I love Coldplay too,” Nikki pouted. She looked at each of the guys and batted her eyelashes at them. Inwardly, I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Her looks definitely made me feel self-conscious, but I wasn’t envious of her personality.

“I have an extra ticket,” Palmer offered. “You can come. The show’s this Saturday night.”

Nikki clapped her hands excitedly and then, instead of thanking Palmer, she reached out and grabbed Garrett’s hand. “Oh my god, Garrett! I can’t believe we’re going to see Coldplay together. This is so exciting.”

Garrett was quick to disentangle himself from Nikki. “It’ll be a fun night out,” he said woodenly with a forced smile.

Across the table, Jackson shot me a look that said, “Can you believe her?” and Palmer looked downright annoyed. I felt sorry for him because Garrett and I had already ruined his night once, and now Garrett was inadvertently ruining it again. I looked down at my phone and decided it was time to go.

“Palmer, would you mind driving me home? Valerie dropped me off on her way to Tacoma tonight,” I asked.

Palmer started to stand, but Garrett held up a hand to stop him. “Can I take you home?” Garrett’s question was so quiet that I seemed to be the only person who heard him.

I didn’t want to seem overly eager or excited to be alone with him again, so I paused a moment before I replied. “Sure. Thank you.”

Garrett smiled, and Palmer handed him the keys to his car. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes.” I walked over to Palmer and hugged him tightly before planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for inviting me tonight. Even if it was kind of a disaster.”

“I’ll text you,” Palmer murmured as he gave me a tight smile.

I followed Garrett out to the driveway, and he helped me into the car, holding the door open for me and then waiting until I was settled in my seat before closing it. The tension in the car seemed to press in from every angle as Garrett drove to my house without a word. The only breaks in the silence were my quiet directions. When he pulled into the driveway, Garrett exhaled loudly as he shifted the car into park.

“Thank you,” I said as I reached for the door handle. My fingers were sweaty and trembling as I fumbled with the latch.

“Wait.” The urgency in his voice stopped me, and I turned back toward him with expectant eyes. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

We both exited the car, and the tension followed as we walked slowly to the front door. We were like two teenagers awkwardly fumbling through the end of a first date.

Nervously, I searched through my purse, looking for my keys. Once I grasped them in my hand, I turned back to say good night to Garrett only to realize that he was closer than I had expected. He exhaled, and I felt his warm breath flutter against my skin.

“Cami,” he whispered. I looked up to see that his eyes were searching for something before they landed on my lips.

“Yes?”

Garrett placed a hand on the curve of my hip and lowered his head. “I want to kiss you so badly, but I don’t want to scare you away.”

I closed my eyes and tried to calm my shaking legs and quivering belly. Breathlessly, I said, “I want that too.”

“Christ,” he groaned. The primal tone of his voice told me that he wanted to devour me. I craved to be consumed by him so badly it almost hurt. Instead, he backed away. “I can wait. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for something like this, for someone like you. What’s a little longer?”

I growled in frustration because the kiss on the beach was nothing more than a tease. I wanted the real thing.

“Just a taste, though,” he murmured before leaning in to place a light, sweet kiss on my cheek so close to the corner of my lips that I was tempted to turn my head. His hands held firmly to my hips as he lingered, drawing out the kiss before he finally ended it. “I’ll see you Saturday.”