“Don’t worry, it was only a few nights ago,” Nate says, as if sensing my worry.
“I’m so happy you’ve met them, and I’m sorry I can’t go out this weekend. But I promise to keep next weekend free for you both.”
“Perfect. Looking forward to it.” He smiles, relieved. “Sleep well,” he adds, before rinsing his dishes and heading to Cory’s room.
“Train hard,” I yell, hearing both Nate and Cory laugh from her room. I huff out my own laugh and smile. As soon as I get to my room, I crash on the bed, fully clothed.
Chapter Seven
Summer
“YouknowIlovecamping, but are you sure you don’t want to go alone?” I ask as Cory lifts on her toes, balancing dangerously on a stool to reach for her camping chairs. I probably could have reached without the extra height, but she’s a determined little thing. She throws one down at me, and I catch it, despite the awkward shape.
Nate says he knows of this great camping spot that’s practically a secret and wants to get away for the weekend. I said yes before Cory finished asking me to go but suddenly realized it may have been a pity invite. Cory and I have always camped together. Maybe she felt bad leaving me out. I should have known better. We’ve never been the type of friends to do things we didn’t want to do. If she didn’t want me there, I’d like to think she would have told me.
“I’ve already told you it’s not just the two of us. Two of Nate’s friends are coming with their girlfriends and—”
“Great, so I’m the seventh wheel.” I roll my eyes playfully, knowing Cory would never do that to me. She rolls her eyes right back at me as she tosses another chair.
“Really, Summer? I thought you knew me better than that.”
I knew it.“Who is he?” I ask and laugh.
“You’ll have to wait and see. He’s my surprise for you.” She smiles, and I beam back at her. She’s never been happier. I can’t say this enough; Nate is perfect for her. And they both light up when they see each other. It’s sickening, really, but I’m glad she’s happy.
“What are you grinning about?” Cory asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“Just how happy I am for you,” I say honestly.
She jumps down from the chair and wraps her arms around me. “Thank you. I am happy. So happy.” She pulls back from me and holds on to my shoulders, looking me dead in the eye. “You could have this too.”
That will teach me for being nice.She knows how I feel about my love life. Or why I have a lack of one. “Cory…” my voice hints with warning.
“I know, I know. I’ll shut up. Plus, I haven’t met anyone good enough for you yet, so you’re off the hook.” She hugs me again and then moves away to pack her bags. “Are you ready yet?”
“No, I’ve got a few things to finish up,” I say and head out of her room, knowing she’ll take hours as it is without me distracting her.
A tent has already been erected when we arrive, and it’s not surprising that they beat us here. Nate jumps out of his truck first, followed by Cory, both hurrying to see if there’s anything left to help with since we ended up being hours late, thanks to Cory’s desperate need to unpack and repack every time she realized she’d forgotten something. I hang back, taking my time as I view the surroundings.
Before me is the definition of picture perfect. A large body of crystal-blue water glistens in the sun, surrounded by mountains of lush greenery. Golden sand paves the way from the tent to the lake, and in the distance, the sound of water crashing against rock tells me there is so much more to explore. Nate was not wrong. This place is something else. How it’s a secret, I’ll never know. It’s hard to believe nobody’s shared this on social media.
Cory and Nate are already approaching the campsite when I finally exit the car.
“Yo! Dyl, are you decent?” Nate yells and shakes the side of the tent.
Ah crap, Dyl?Nate’s friend is Dylan? Why didn’t that possibility even cross my mind? My heart rate speeds thinking about how this is going to play out. Does Gemma know the truth? Considering we only pretended to be best friends for that one night and then never spoke again, I’m assuming he confessed it all. Especially since she caught Joel kissing someone else. If that wasn’t the perfect time to come clean, then I don’t know what is.But what if he didn’t?I shrug and take a deep breath.Well, this could be fun. Or a complete mess…
Dylan’s pulling a T-shirt over his head as he steps out of the tent. Behind him, a tiny redhead ducks her head out. Gemma.
“I’ll be right out.” She smiles shyly before moving back inside. Nate raises his eyebrows, and Dylan laughs before offering his hand to Cory.
“I know we’ve seen each other plenty, but I don’t think we’ve officially met, at least while I’m sober. I’m Dylan,” he says.
She smiles, already well aware of who he is. Besides the fact that we’ve talked about him and the best friend saga, she’s also never missed a football game. “Cory. Nice to meet you, Dylan,” she replies, shaking his hand.
“Need help with your tent?” Dylan asks, looking over toward the car, the very car I’m still stupidly standing behind. I slam the door shut and head over with a confident stride, watching Dylan’s eyes widen for a second when he notices me.
“Dylan,” I say, with a tilt of my head, trying to appear unaffected by seeing him.