Page 56 of Embrace

When she nods, he looks over at Neha, who also nods, letting him take over the court, the rest of the kids joining in.

It’s a cute moment, and I should’ve known Kian could persuade one of the moms who sits nearby on a lawn chair to join in. It’s like the urge to play outside spreads to everyone, and a few more women follow.

I stay on the sidelines, laughing, even as Kian waves me over with a grin.

“Is that your boyfriend?” one of the kids at the snack table asks, eyes bouncing between him and me.

“He’s my frie—”

“Is he nice to you?” she asks.

Something cracks in my chest. “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever known.”

The girl beams and looks past me to Kian, who pretends to fumble the ball, letting one of the moms dunk on him. Then he turns to bow down to her as she taunts him.

Yeah, I never stood a chance.

Nineteen

Kian

Falling asleep onmy textbooks is a new low for me. So is crashing my friends’ date night.

Aiden and Summer were on their way out to dinner when they found me passed out on my Abnormal Psychology textbook, drool and all. It’s one of my easy classes, the kind I half listen to, so I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

Summer startled me awake, and the second my stomach growled loud enough to echo through the house, she laughed and said, “You’re coming with us.”

The seafood restaurant was fancy, but that didn’t stop me from ordering half the menu. Summer got a kick out of it, and Aiden didn’t seem to mind—until Summer and I spent the whole night gossiping. Then the wine came and we got more than tipsy, with Aiden as our designated driver.

The moment we stumble into the house, he may be on his last straw. So he picks up Summer in his arms, saving her from injuring herself.

“Are you going to carry me too?” I ask Aiden as we head for the stairs.

The look he gives me tells me I should lock my bedroom door tonight.

Summer starts belting out a country song, and I can’t help joining in, louder than anyone should be at this hour.

“You gotta be quiet, Preston,” Aiden whispers.

“You always say that,” she mutters. When they reach the top step, she salutes me. “That was fun, Kian. Let’s do it again.” Before I can answer, Aiden takes her into his room and shuts the door behind them, leaving me laughing in the hallway.

The buzz of the wine slowly wears off as I shower and slip on a pair of boxers. The minute I fall back onto my mattress, I’m out like a light. But it’s only a few hours later that I feel my heart pounding and I jerk out of sleep, my skin slick with sweat.

I reach for my phone first. 2:19 a.m.

I realize where I am, and that the dream wasn’t real. I remember how long it’s been and the number that won’t ever be on my screen again. I run a clammy hand through my hair, feeling the blaze igniting my skin. Even my music playing a calming beat does nothing to soothe me back to sleep.

My gaze flicks to the temperature on the thermostat. Sixty-four degrees. I pull off the covers and lay back down, staring at the date on my lock screen.

My dad’s birthday. Or what would have been.

The thought feels overwhelming all at once. It hurts just as bad as the first year, but right now it’s just quieter, more spread even than it was once. Instead of the heavy punch to the chest, it’s a constant tapping, like a tree branch against a window, that nags me nightly.

He’s not here. He’s never coming back.

Before I can think, I’m grabbing my phone and shooting off a text to the person I’ve been thinking about all day. Scarlett.

She’s not awake. I’m sure of it. But the second I place my phoneback on the dresser, it lights up with an incoming call. I spring out of bed and answer immediately.