“You okay?” he asks, and I snap out of my daze.
“What can I get for you?” I ask. He looks at me intently, which makes me nervous and orders the same drink that he had a few days ago. I turn around and walk over to pour his cup of coffee when Roxy sides up next to me and whispers, “Who’s that guy?”
“I don’t know, why?”
“Well, he’s hot, and he can’t seem to take his eyes off of you.”
I peek at him over my shoulder and catch him staring. Turning back to his coffee, I snap the lid on and whisper, “He’s creepy.”
Roxy laughs, and I walk back over to the register. “One ninety-three,” I say as I hand him his drink. When I give him his change, in a moment of bravery, I ask, “Do I know you or something?”
“I don’t think so. Why?”
I notice his striking eyes. They are almost clear with a slight hint of blue. I don’t think I have ever seen eyes that color before. Shaking my head, I say, “You stare.” What was that, Candace? You stare? “I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” I quickly apologize.
Not acknowledging my apology, he asks, “You go to school here?”
“Yeah.”
Taking a step back from the counter, he thanks me for the coffee and leaves. I don’t know what to make of the exchange we just had, but decide not to give it anymore thought.
“What did he say?” Roxy asks.
“Nothing really. Just thanked me for the coffee,” I say as I walk over to Brandon and help him finish wiping down the counters.
?????
When I get home and pull into the driveway, I notice a red Jeep in front of the house. Walking in, I expect to see Kimber, but she must be in her room. I grab a bottle of water and an apple from the fridge, and when I start heading to my room, Kimber is walking out of hers and shutting the door behind her.
“Hey,” she says when she turns around and sees me.
“Whose car is out front?” I ask.
“Oh, that’s Seth’s car.” She says this as if I should know who Seth is. I give her a confused look when she clarifies, “The guy I’ve been seeing.”
Nodding my head, I softly say, “Oh,” when she walks off. I turn around and walk into my room, closing the door behind me. How could I not know she’s dating someone? Sadness washes over me at the realization that Kimber and I are hardly friends anymore. She has a boyfriend, and I had no clue. I just figured that guy she brought home with her the other night was a one-night stand. I never thought I would drift so far from my best friend. How can we live in the same house and not know each other at all? What’s worse—this is all my fault.
Chapter Twelve
––––––––
The night is cold and misty, and Mark and I are sitting by the fire pit in my backyard roasting marshmallows while we wait for Jase to come over. I am curled up in a blanket as we sit and eat our sugary treat and share a bottle of red wine.
“Where’s Kimber?” Mark asks, as he stabs another marshmallow onto his skewer.
Looking over at him, the only light coming from the glow of the fire, I say, “At Seth’s, probably. She spends most nights over at his place, so I’ve been here alone for the most part.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not really . . . well, kinda.” I grab my skewer, loaded with two marshmallows, and place them directly into the flame. I watch the glow of the fire brighten as my marshmallows ignite into a mini fireball. Pulling them out of the yellow crackling blaze, I blow out the flame on my now scorched confection.
“That’s disgusting,” he says while eying my bubbly, charred marshmallow.
Sliding off the burnt shell and leaving the remainder of the uncooked marshmallow on the skewer, I shove it in my mouth and crunch down. “It’s fabulous,” I jokingly say with my mouth full.
Mark laughs and shakes his head at me. “So . . .?” he questions, still wanting a confirmation to his previous question.
I shove the remainder of the marshmallows that are left on my skewer back into the blaze to repeat the process. “I mean, I like that I don’t have to feel awkward when she’s around, but at the same time, it makes me sad that she’s not around and that we hardly speak.” Eating the last of my marshmallows, I lay the skewer down and continue. “It hurts. Kimber has never been serious with a guy, and now she has a boyfriend I know nothing about. She’s seems really happy, and I wish I was a part of it.”
“So, why don’t you just talk to her?”
“Because she knows I’m hiding something and lying to her. She told me that she doesn’t want to be friends with someone who can’t be honest.” Shrugging my shoulders, I take another sip of wine and tighten the blanket around me.
“Maybe you should . . .”
Mark is cut off when the door opens and Jase comes outside to join us.
“Hey, guys,” he says as he walks over and kisses Mark, then turns to me and kisses my cheek. “What are you guys doing out here? It’s cold.”
Mark holds up the half-eaten bag of marshmallows and says, “I’m fattening up your rail-thin girl over there.” He eyes me with a smirk and winks.