CHAPTERONE
Becca
“How does it feel being back?” June asks, taking a sip of her orange juice.
I smile as I move my forefinger around the rim of my glass. It’s been seven years since I was in the States.
I was fourteen when my family moved to England. My dad was offered a career opportunity he couldn’t turn down.
But my big brother stayed behind to work on his business, and now he’s getting married.
“Good,” I say, then my smile falters.
June tilts her head.
We were best friends growing up. I remember how we both cried when I told her I was moving, our fourteen year old hearts breaking at the prospect of not seeing each other every day.
But she still has the ability to read me. Maybe it’s all the video calls we do.
“What is it?” she asks.
I study her for a moment. She’s taller than me, leaner, with long red hair and freckles across her cheeks. She’s got the sort of build and appearance I know men like…and I also know she’s pretty much the exact opposite of me.
But I try not to let any negative emotions ruin this moment.
I’m not going to dwell on how pretty she is, how unlike me she is. That’s just self-pitying and pointless.
“Becca?”
“Sorry.” I force my smile to return, but it feels tight. “It’s good. It’s awesome seeing Alex. And I’m so freaking happy for him.”
June laughs. “At least England didn’t take freaking from you.”
I grin. “You know it didn’t. I’ve been saying it on Skype for years.”
She reaches across the table, touching my arm for a moment. “Yeah, but it’s so much better now you’re here.”
“Thanks, June.”
We pause, sipping our orange juices.
“I cut you off,” she says, putting her glass down. “What were you going to say?”
I look down the length of her backyard. I’ve spent countless hours in here, ever since we were little kids, running up and down its long length, hiding near the bushes at the back, discussing all the things we’d do when we grew up.
As we grew older, we started staging photoshoots in here, working on improving our craft…or maybe we were just messing around. Either way, it was so fun.
I sigh. “It’s so silly. It’s not even worth mentioning.” But my belly churns and goes taut, my heart thumping, my world spinning when I think about him.
I was fourteen the last time Ben saw me, just a dorky teenager with braces covering my teeth.
Will he see me differently now? Will he even notice me? Even if he did, Alex would freak.
“Becca?” June shakes her head, smiling softly. “You know I’m not a mind reader, don’t you?”
“Sorry. Do you remember when we were kids, and you had a bunch of crushes and a few boyfriends?”
“Uh, yeah.” June looks closely at me, then her eyes widen. “But you didn’t. You had one crush.”