Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 587(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“I can help with that,” comes a voice from behind.
When we turn, there stands Cole Harding, my absurdly good-looking pal in his fitted polo uniform shirt. “Cole!” I cry out.
“You’ve been home for how long and I only just now get to see you?” he teases me before we give each other a quick hug. “Bobby said you’re in town and only saw you once. Not that I—” His eyes fall on Austin, which shuts him up. I watch his mind work as he glances back and forth between us, completely caught off-guard.
I make a quick introduction. “Austin, this is Cole, the friend I told you about. And Cole, this is Austin.” After a brief pause, I add: “My boyfriend.”
Something clicks in Cole’s eyes.
I think he just congratulated himself privately for making the right interpretation.
Cole extends a hand. “Hey there, Austin. I’m TJ’s ‘hometown confidant’. Interpret that as you wish. It’s TJ’s words.” He tilts his head. “You look familiar, by the way. You from around here?”
Austin and I exchange a look before he replies, “Nah, afraid not. Dallas area, born n’ mostly raised. Met TJ just off his campus.”
“Hmm.” It’s still working over in Cole’s head. “I swear …”
I squeeze in. “Austin here really wants to get his hands on one of these walls. Think you can hook him up, Cole? I’ve gotta make a quick trip to the boys’ room.”
Cole’s work mind snaps right back into place. “You got it! Hey, Mr. Austin, my new buddy, are you ready for your junk to get very uncomfortably acquainted with a harness?”
Austin blinks, gives that question one second’s consideration, then shrugs. “Why the hell not.”
With Austin in good hands, I head to the restrooms nearby to do my business—I’ve kinda been suffering since halfway through our walk in the park, to be honest—and find my sweet relief at an exceptionally clean urinal.
The sigh I let out literally turns vocal.
The relief is short-lived. My phone buzzes when I’m washing my hands.
AJ calling.
I’m riding such a high right now, I should really just set things straight between us and let him off the hook. Acknowledge that he hurt me, but that I’m fine. Forgive him fully. Then ask him how his conquest with Paris is going. After all, you can’t expect to conquer the capital of France in half a summer.
I barely pat my hands dry on my shorts before I answer the phone. “AJ!” I greet him, overjoyed.
He shouts back: “What the heck, bro?! You and the Chase Holt are dating?!”
Chapter 20.
Austin
There’s a metaphor here about climbing too high.
Like a cat flying up the curtains.
Up to the top—Ian’s mantra.
Then you peer over your shoulder and everyone down there is an ant, and you’re like, what in the hell was I thinking?
How do I get down from here?
The only answer is to fall.
Not an ideal time to discover a fear of heights, huh?
I don’t want to look like a spooked cat up the curtain around TJ. I have to be strong. And pissing my pants at the top of this rock wall doesn’t exactly exude strength, now does it?
“I got you!” calls out Cole from below, sensing my hesitation.
And yeah, I get what TJ was saying earlier. Cole is inhumanly good-looking, noted.
But there’s so much more on my mind than just literal rock wall climbing that’s feeding my anxiety. I’m also hearing Ian in my ear. I’m seeing the notifications popping up on my phone. Like a slow-motion nightmare unfolding before my eyes, I’m seeing the texts from Drew and Irene at the label—and texts from the both of them sure ain’t a good sign, let alone just one. I’ve been fighting back a spontaneous urge to vomit since we left that burger place with the sweet, slightly-unhinged lady, thinking about how while I’m out here in this peaceful paradise with TJ, somehow the whole world outside of Spruce is closing in on us.
Spruce, the eye of the hurricane.
And the hurricane’s starting to move again.
And do I really need another fucking storm metaphor?
“You alright?” asks Cole when I’m back on my feet. I literally don’t remember lowering myself to the floor. “You look freaked out a little. Hey, no shame. First time I talked my boyfriend into scaling this wall, he was trying to play it cool when he came back down, but I could feel him shaking all over the place—poor guy. I felt so bad.” He chuckles to himself. “Well, a little bad. Teeny bit. I was trying not to laugh. It’s just ‘cause he was trying so hard to look brave even when I got him back down …”
“Austin.”
I turn at the sound of TJ’s voice. He’s back from the restroom.
And he looks tense. “TJ? You okay?”
“We need to go.”
I can’t read anything on his face. A thousand things could’ve happened in that bathroom, from reuniting with some high school dickhead to getting a call from his mom that Banano was eaten by a coyote. “Burger not sittin’ well? Fries? They were kinda greasy.”