If We Ever Meet Again

by Ana Huang

  “It’s my dad’s stupid girlfriend.” Kris adjusted her sunglasses. “She convinced him to spend Christmas in Aspen. Aspen! It’ll be snowing and shit. I mean, who wants a white Christmas?”

  The rest of the group exchanged glances.

  “Uh, is that a rhetorical question?” Sammy asked.

  Kris ignored him. “We’ve spent every Christmas in St. Barths since I was five. It’s tradition. Now this girl waltzes in and tries to change everything.” She sighed. “On the bright side, Daddy feels so bad he’s buying me Harry Winston for Christmas. He usually gets me Tiffany.”

  “There’s a diamond lining in every cloud,” Leo deadpanned, earning himself a jab in the ribs from Courtney.

  His sarcasm went over Kris’s head. “True.”

  Farrah stifled a laugh.

  Meanwhile, Olivia was trying to engage Nardo in conversation, a clear sign of how much she liked Sammy. She thought Nardo was a pompous, mansplaining jerk, but he was Sammy’s best friend, for reasons no one could fathom. Sammy was the most likable guy on the planet; Nardo was not.

  “Whatcha reading?” Olivia flipped onto her stomach to peer at the thick tome in Nardo’s hands.

  “A book.”

  “No shit, Sherlock. What book?”

  Nardo pushed his glasses up on his nose. He was the palest in the group and slathered on half a bottle of sunscreen before they hit the beach. Even so, Farrah could see the skin on his back turning pink. “War and Peace and War.”

  “You mean War and Peace.”

  “No, that’s a 19th-century novel by Leo Tolstoy about the French invasion of Russia. This is War and Peace and War by Peter Turchin. It explores the rise and fall of empires from the perspective of evolutionary biology.”

  Olivia’s eyes glazed over. “Wow. Fun beach read.”

  “Do you know you talk like a human Wikipedia?” Farrah asked.

  Nardo looked touched. “Thank you.”

  Sammy rolled over onto his side and kissed Olivia’s shoulder. “He’s always been this way. You should see our dorm at Harvey Mudd. It’s packed with political history books.”

  Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Aren’t you guys math majors?”

  “I’m economics.” Nardo returned to his book. “You can read outside your major.”

  “I know. I just finished Crazy Rich Asians.”

  Farrah’s face split into a huge grin at the look on Nardo’s face.

  “Excuse me. I thought we were on vacation.” Courtney snatched the book from Nardo’s hands, ignoring his cry of protest. “Let’s do something fun.”

  “We are doing something fun,” Sammy said. “We’re at the beach.”

  “No, something fun. I know!” Courtney snapped her fingers. “Let’s go skinny dipping!”

  Farrah’s eyes widened in horror.

  “I love you, but that’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” Olivia’s expression matched Farrah’s. “It’s broad daylight.”

  “So? We’re among friends. Live and let live, Liv.”

  “No, thanks.”

  Luke raised his hand. “I’ll do it.”

  “Me too,” Nardo said.

  Every head whipped in his direction.

  “You will?” Sammy asked, mouth agape.

  Nardo’s cheeks matched his back. “Like Courtney said, we’re on vacation.”

  “Great,” Kris said. “See what you did, Court? Now we’ll have to see Luke and Nardo naked.”

  The boys looked at each other. Without saying a word, they gathered handfuls of sand and tossed them at Kris before she could duck out of the way. Her mouth froze into a shocked O as the grains peppered her hair and cleavage.

  Everyone burst into laughter.

  “Blech!” Kris sputtered. “I have sand in my mouth! I’m going to kill you guys.” She tried to wipe the sand from her face and smeared it further across her cheeks.

  They laughed harder.

  “A skinny dip will get the sand off. Come on, guys, don’t be boring,” Courtney wheedled.

  “Chill,” Leo said. “The Full Moon Party is tonight. We’ll have fun then.”

  “I am chill. Excuse me for trying to make sure everyone enjoys themselves.”

  “We are enjoying ourselves,” Leo argued. “People know how to have fun without you. We don’t have to do everything you say all the time.”

  The laughter stopped.

  Farrah’s heart pounded like a carpenter hammering a nail into the wall. Courtney and Leo didn’t fight. Ever. He was too easygoing, and she was…well, she was Courtney.

  “What did you say?” Courtney’s face turned red.

  He pinched his temple. “Let’s not do this now.”

  “Oh, we are doing this now. You started it. Finish it.” The challenge was clear.

  “I’m just saying, you don’t have to be such a control freak all the time.”

  Kris flinched.

  Olivia buried her face in Farrah’s shoulder.

  “Control freak?” Courtney was Mount Etna waiting to erupt. Farrah saw steam pouring out of her ears. “Screw you! It’s easy for you to be the chill, laid-back one. I’m the one who makes sure we have fun. I come up with the activities. I keep this group together. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me!”

  “Listen to yourself.” Leo’s sharp tone sent a ripple of shock through the group. “No one asks you to do those things. It’s like you have some sort of god complex.”

  Courtney, Olivia, and Farrah gasped at the same time.

  “Leo.” Kris took off her sunglasses and flicked some sand off her shoulder. Her voice was glacial. “You should go back to the hotel.”

  “Gladly.” Leo tossed his towel over his shoulder and walked off, leaving silence in his wake.

  “That escalated quickly,” Luke finally said.

  “Are you ok?” Farrah wasn’t sure what to say. They’d never had a big fight in the group before.

  “Yeah. I can’t believe him. God complex.” Courtney squirted sunscreen into her palm and rubbed it onto her arms with more force than necessary. “I don’t have a god complex.”

  Nardo coughed.

  “Of course you don’t. You take charge, and he can’t handle it.” Kris put her sunglasses back on. “Guys. If you ask me, they’re not worth the trouble.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Sammy said.

  Olivia patted his hand. “Don’t worry, sweetie. You’re the exception.”

  The group settled into an uneasy silence.

  Farrah tried to focus on the sound of the waves, but her mind was running a million miles a minute. She used to fantasize about Courtney and Leo breaking up. They’d part amicably, Leo would realize he’d been in love with Farrah all along, and Courtney would give them her blessing.

  She didn’t know when or how, but somewhere along the way, that fantasy had dissolved.

  Farrah didn’t want Courtney and Leo to break up. She wanted the group to stay the way it was. Their collective friendship meant more than any selfish individual desire.

  Farrah squeezed her eyes shut and quieted her thoughts enough to let the warmth and waves work their magic.

  It was so nice here. She didn’t want to go back to Shanghai. She wanted to stay here forever. Who was in Shanghai, anyway?

  Blake. Blake’s in Shanghai.

  The thought was so unexpected it kicked Farrah right out of her dreamy state. She was in paradise. What was she doing thinking about Blake and his dimples and his muscles? Good Lord, those muscles. He could probably bench-press her without breaking a sweat.

  Farrah’s mouth dried. She wondered what he was doing. Going out every night? Having wild monkey sex with a rotating cast of girls in every corner of the dorm?

  Probably. She hadn’t seen him hook up with anyone since the program started, but that didn’t mean he didn’t do it. You couldn’t be a college guy who looked like that and not be getting some on a regular basis.

  It was the wrong mental route to take because Farrah couldn’t keep the resulti
ng flood of images at bay.

  Blake naked. Blake and faceless girl having sex in his room. Blake and faceless girl having sex in the kitchen. Blake and Farrah having sex in the student lounge.

  Whoa. Where the hell did that come from?

  Farrah’s eyes flew open. She slammed her mental gate down in panic and stopped the images in their tracks. They continued to hover near the entrance, waiting for an opportunity to sneak back in.

  Her heart beat double time. The last fantasy came through so vividly she might as well have broadcast it to the world.

  Farrah snuck a peek at her friends. They lolled on their beach towels, oblivious.

  She squeezed her eyes shut again. Think of Leo. Think of the Full Moon Party. Think of grandma in her old pink pajamas.

  Nothing worked. The fantasy of her and Blake pushed against her consciousness. If she let herself, she could still see it—her soft flesh pressed against Blake’s hard muscles, his hands gripping her hips, their mouths fused in a hungry embrace.

  A surge of heat coursed through her body. Farrah flipped onto her stomach and buried her face in her arms. The ache remained.

  “Wait! My timer didn’t go off yet,” Olivia protested. “We’re supposed to flip every 20 minutes.” She poked Farrah’s back. “Hmm. You are kind of red. Maybe you should apply more sunscreen.”

  “I’m fine,” Farrah said, her voice muffled.

  “I’m reapplying for you. Stay still.”

  Farrah didn’t resist as Olivia slathered her with SPF 50. Instead, she lay there and wondered why, exactly, she was fantasizing about sex with Blake Ryan.

  Deep down, she knew the answer.

  I am so screwed.

  Chapter Ten

  Blake’s dry spell? Donezo.

  Thank god. If he went any longer without sex, they’d have to wheel him into the ER for emergency blue ball surgery.

  However, despite Mina’s considerable skills in bed, their fling wasn’t as satisfying as he’d expected. It was like junk food: good in the moment, until the high dissipated and left him emptier than ever.

  Blake watched as Mina slipped into her heels and slung her bag strap over her shoulder. Luke texted a few hours ago saying he’d swing by after he dropped his luggage off at his homestay. He expected his ex-roommate to bang down his door any minute now.

  Someone knocked.

  Well, that was scarily accurate timing.

  “That’s my cue,” Mina drawled. Like Blake, she had no desire for after-sex chitchat. They met up, banged, and parted ways. Easy. Simple. No strings attached.

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  Blake opened the door, expecting to see Luke’s burly frame filling the doorway. To his shock, he found Farrah standing there dressed in…sheep pajamas?

  Yep, those were definitely fluffy white sheep marching across her shirt and pants. They were so adorable and such a departure from Farrah’s usual polished style Blake couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

  “Hey, I—” Farrah stopped when she saw Mina. One look at Mina’s tousled hair and swollen lips, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what she and Blake had been up to.

  Surprise and another emotion Blake couldn’t place flitted across her face.

  Tendrils of guilt snaked up his spine.

  Wait. I have nothing to be guilty about. Blake was single. He could hook up with anyone he wanted.

  “I can see myself out.” Mina stood on her tiptoes to plant a lingering kiss on Blake’s mouth. He returned it with hesitation, hyperaware of Farrah’s presence. “Call me later.”

  She nodded at Farrah on her way out. “Nice jammies.” She sauntered down the hall and disappeared into the stairwell.

  “Sorry,” Farrah said, that strange expression still on her face. “I didn’t know you had company.”

  “It’s fine. She was leaving anyway.” Blake leaned against the doorframe. Nope. Guilt had no business here. None at all. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  “If it’s nothing, you wouldn’t be standing here.”

  Farrah blew out a breath. “Ok, I don’t want you to read too much into this, but I got you something from Thailand and wanted to give it to you before I forget.” She handed him a small elephant figurine. He’d been so busy staring at the sheep he hadn’t noticed the elephant. “It’s modeled after an elephant at the sanctuary we went to. He reminded me of you.”

  Blake took the elephant and rubbed his thumb over the intricate stone carving. A lump formed in his throat. He couldn’t remember the last time he received a gift from someone who didn’t expect something back.

  The pit of loneliness that had plagued him for the past week shrank from the size of a fist to the size of a pea.

  Stop being a pansy and toughen up. It’s an elephant, for chrissakes.

  Blake ignored the warmth flooding his veins and flashed his signature smile, the one that he knew made girls melt. To his annoyance, Farrah remained unfazed. “Was the elephant also handsome and athletic?”

  “Cocky and a showoff.”

  “I’ll take it.” Blake assessed the elephant. Heck, it was a good-looking animal. “Thank you. This is so thoughtful.”

  Farrah looked embarrassed. “It’s not a big deal. Just a trinket I picked up.”

  “Well, I appreciate it. Shows how much you missed me.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “I did not miss you.”

  “You thought about me.”

  “Hardly.”

  “You thought about me enough to buy this.” Blake brandished the elephant in triumph.

  Farrah’s expression was priceless.

  “You know what? I’m taking it back.” She attempted to swipe the figurine from his hands. He held it above his head, laughing as she jumped to try to reach it. “I’m giving it to Josh.”

  Blake stilled. “Who’s Josh?”

  “My cousin.”

  He relaxed. “Well, Josh will have to do without because Blake Jr. is mine.”

  “Of course you named it after yourself. How narcissistic can you be?”

  “Very. Now stop trying to take him back, or you’re not getting your thank you present.”

  That caught her attention. “What’s my present?”

  “Whatever you want it to be.”

  “That’s the laziest answer ever.”

  “Yet it works. Would you rather have something you want or something someone else thinks you want?”

  Farrah frowned. “Good point. Fine. I want dinner. A good dinner. I’m starving.”

  “That’s it?”

  “You want me to ask for your firstborn, too?”

  “If you want to raise him or her for me, sure.” Blake shrugged. “In the meantime, dinner it is, milady.”

  “I’ll change.”

  “No. You should wear those PJs out. They’re cute.” He tried to keep a straight face. He failed.

  “Shut up.” Farrah spun on her heels and marched toward the stairs.

  “I’m serious. They are cute!” Blake yelled after her.

  She flipped him the finger without turning around. “Meet me in the lobby in ten.”

  Blake was still chuckling when he tucked the elephant into his desk drawer. He changed into street clothes and pulled out his phone to ask Luke for a rain check when a message from his friend popped up.

  Can’t make it tonight. Homestay fam made dinner for me.

  Sometimes the universe aligns.

  Cool. Next time.

  On Blake’s way to the lobby, he passed by Zack and Scott, who sported dark tans from their week backpacking in Vietnam. Flo was downstairs, surrounded by a pile of shopping bags stamped with Korean characters. She was showing off what looked like a pack of Jason masks to her friends.

  Hmm. That reminds me, Halloween is coming up.

  “I’m ready!”

  Farrah bounded down the stairs in a coat, jeans, and boots. A scarf wrapped around her throat; gloves covered her hands.

  It was
sixty degrees outside.

  “I didn’t realize we’re going to Siberia for dinner.”

  “Har-har.” Farrah flipped her hood up. “I’m from SoCal. I’m cold.”

  “I’m from Texas and you don’t see me dressed like an Eskimo.”

  “You’re a guy. Guys make terrible decisions.”

  “That’s sexist.”

  “Sue me.”

  Blake grinned. Damn, he’d missed her.

  “So where do you want to eat dinner, princess?”

  She cut a glance his way but let the nickname slide. “Any chance you discovered a cool new restaurant around here?”

  Hmm. He’d tried a bunch of restaurants, but none—wait. A slow grin spread across his face.

  “Actually, I did. It’s not new, and it’s not around here, but you’ll love it. Come on!”

  “Where are we going?” Farrah puffed as she jogged to keep up with him. Blake had a good seven inches on her; every step he took was the equivalent of two of hers.

  “You’ll see.”

  They climbed into one of the cabs idling outside the campus gates. Blake gave the address to the driver, who stepped on the gas in a sudden move that threw Blake and Farrah against the backseat.

  “The least you can do is tell me what kind of cuisine it is,” Farrah said once they straightened themselves up. “Pretty please.”

  “And ruin the surprise? No way.”

  She pouted. “Fine. At least tell me whether the food is good.”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Blake!”

  The driver slammed the brakes as they approached a red light. Everyone jerked forward.

  Christ. This man’s driving was the reason they invented seat belts.

  “How can you not know if the food is good or not?” Farrah clutched her chest. “Are you taking me to…an untested restaurant?”

  Blake laughed. “Olivia’s spoiled you.”

  “Say what you will, but the girl knows her restaurants. She’s never steered me wrong.”

  “It’s not about the food. Trust me, you’ll love it.”

  “It’s dinner. Of course it’s about the food.”

  Blake smiled in response. He refused to succumb to Farrah’s pleas for more information. Instead, he distracted her with questions about Thailand, which she was more than happy to talk about. Other than what sounded like Courtney-Leo drama, the trip seemed like a blast, especially the Full Moon Party. Drinking on the beach, fire jump ropes, and bikini-clad girls (including Farrah) covered in body paint? Blake regretted staying behind.