“Because you might take back what you just said and realize you were right about me from the start.”
“I doubt that.”
Colton laid the silverware on top of the napkin, sipped his water, and scanned the restaurant, not making eye contact with her.
“Colton, what?”
“We rate girls.” He still wouldn’t look at her. “A lot of times we have no idea what their names are, so we give them nicknames.”
“Rate them on what?”
He shook his head. “It’s not important.”
She tilted her head and gave him her best disapproving look. “Just tell me.”
His eyes finally met hers. “By how doable they are.” He cringed as he said it.
Her mouth dropped open in disgust. “Colton, that’s sick and wrong.”
He nodded. She could see he was actually ashamed by it, so she didn’t say more.
There was a long minute of silence.
“How did I rate?” she asked.
The corner of Colton’s mouth turned up a little.
“Never mind.” She waved her hands in front of her. “Forget I asked.”
He chuckled.
The waitress arrived then with their food.
Colton held up his glass of water toward Natalie. “To a great trip.”
Natalie held hers up. “To friendship.”
He gazed into her eyes. “To us.”
She swallowed hard as he clinked his glass against hers.
The ringer on Colton’s phone went off then. He tapped “ignore”.
“Lexi?” Natalie asked.
He nodded.
“You can answer it if you want to.”
“I’m having lunch with you right now. Everybody else can wait.”
That warmed her heart, but it didn’t take away her underlying guilt for kissing another girl’s boyfriend.
“So, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get there?” he asked. “Besides find your friends and your room.”
“Get me to the beach. And fast,” she replied with excitement. “I’ve never been to the ocean before.”
“What?” His eyes widened, and he stared at her dumbfounded. “How has this not come up yet?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve never really had much extra money for vacations. That’s why this trip is so important to me.” No extra money for vacations was more like it. Day trips to Lake Michigan and gymnastics meets in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois had been the extent of her travel so far. Virginia Beach was the farthest she had ever been away from home.
“Oh, man, I want to see your face the first time you step into the ocean.” He seemed more excited about it than she did.
“Well, you’ll be back with your friends by then, and I’ll be back with mine,” she replied. “I’ll send you a video.”
This seemed to disappoint him. “Do you have any big plans with your friends this week?”
“We’re going on the day trip to Jamestown. The rest of the time, I’ll be happy sitting on the beach.”
“I probably won’t leave the beach very much. Just to eat and sleep.”
“Sounds good to me.” She grew quiet thinking about Colton off with Lexi and his friends while she, Olivia, and Trinity ventured off to learn about history. Would their paths ever cross this week? She doubted it, and that tugged at her heart and filled her with a dread she hadn’t anticipated.
“I really want to hang out with you this week, Nat.” Colton must have been thinking about their situation too.
“We’ll see.” It was all she could think to say in response. In less than an hour, they would arrive at the resort. Then what? An uneasiness settled in. She just didn’t see how this could work.
20
Virginia Beach
Oh, I don’t know about this.” Colton gripped the steering wheel as they approached the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel leading toward Virginia Beach.
Natalie laughed. “What? Afraid the tunnel’s going to fill with water or something?”
“Don’t say that,” he snapped.
He seemed legitimately worried as they drove through the underwater tunnel, but Natalie couldn’t hold in her laughter. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t think you were scared of anything.”
“I’m not scared.” His white knuckles said otherwise.
“Right.”
“I’m concerned for your safety. We’ve made it this far. I would hate for something to happen to you now.”
“I see.” She tried to stifle another laugh.
He let out a breath when they finally emerged on the other side, and Natalie giggled.
“Whatever. You’re afraid of storms.”
Her attention was no longer on Colton or his jab. She was enamored by the sight of the bay all around them. She couldn’t wait to get to the Atlantic and step into the salty waves.
When they arrived at Vacation Villa Resort, Natalie texted Olivia, who informed her that they had hit some construction and were running about an hour behind schedule.
Colton parked in the resort parking lot and got out of his car.
They were in Virginia Beach. They had survived the journey together. And now they would go their separate ways.
Natalie’s door suddenly opened, and Colton extended his hand to her. She didn’t want to get out. She wanted him to get back in the car and drive them away from there. Together.
“We made it!” he cried.
She nodded and reluctantly took his hand, letting him help her out of the car. “And it only took us, like, eighteen hours of driving.”
“Only.” With a wink and a smile, he wound his fingers through hers and angled his head toward the beach. “Let’s take a walk.”
“OK.” The sound of the waves against the shore and the smell of the salt in the air filled her with anticipation. She could barely contain her excitement as they walked alongside the resort, anxious to see the massive body of water with her own eyes.
When they rounded the corner of the building, Natalie stopped.
“Oh my goodness!”
She let go of Colton’s hand and walked swiftly down the pathway that led to the beach. Her pace slowed as she kicked off her shoes and savored the feeling of soft sand squishing between her toes. She looked over her shoulder, and he was watching her with amusement.
“Race ya!” Natalie’s eyes sparkled as she gave him a little push and took off across the sand.
Colton chased after her, their laughter floating on the wind.
When Natalie’s feet touched the smooth wet sand, she ran a little harder and did a cartwheel, then proceeded to stand on her hands and walk along the beach that way.
Colton grabbed hold of her ankle, and she screamed. “Stop! You’re gonna make me fall!”
“Come on!” He kicked off his shoes and walked calf-deep into the water.
She righted herself and followed him, taking her first steps into the ocean. Her smile was probably the biggest she had ever worn. And when she looked at Colton, he was grinning right back at her.
“It’s freezing.” She kicked a little water in his direction.
He returned the favor, so she did it again.
And the cycle continued until they were both soaked from head to toe.
Colton stopped splashing and moved closer to her, both of them still laughing. He reached out and moved a wet strand of hair from her forehead.
The sensation of his fingertips gliding against her wet forehead gave her goosebumps on top of the goosebumps she already had from the cold water.
He stepped closer, his hands moving around her waist, pulling her into him.
“Colton,” she warned.
He hugged her. So tight she felt like crying.
She locked her arms around his back and leaned her head against his chest, knowing their moments together were fleeting.
“I’m so glad I got to see that,” he whispered.
She leaned back, and their eyes met. The way he was looking at
her brought back the kiss they had shared only hours before.
It was more than just friendship between them now. She knew better than to say it wasn’t. It was more than those secret feelings she had harbored for him since childhood. Because she didn’t know him before, and there had never been a chance of anything real happening between them.
This trip had changed all that.
She had totally fallen for him.
And now she was about to lose him.
21
Back to Reality
Rivulets of water slid from Colton’s hair down his cheeks and neck, some dripping into the trunk as he retrieved his beach towel. He wiped them away and rubbed back and forth over his hair, leaving it sticking up in every direction, which Natalie found adorable.
He caught her watching him. “What?”
She straightened her face to hide the smile he had seen. “Your hair.”
“Oh.” He combed through it with his fingers and it righted itself.
She wished she could do the same with hers. Guys had it so easy.
Colton walked over and wrapped his towel around behind her shoulders.
“I have my own towel in there, you know?” She nodded toward the trunk.
“You can use mine. I don’t mind.”
“I need to get out of these wet clothes.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she figured he’d have some smart comment to add, but he only smirked.
The sound of a bus entering the resort parking lot captured their attention.
Natalie couldn’t believe it. The buses had finally arrived, but she wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or sad. A little of both swirled around inside her.
Colton took her hand and squeezed. Confused emerald eyes gazed at her. His brow furrowed, and his bottom lip stuck out a little in a pout, perfectly displaying the sadness she too felt that their trip was over.
As the bus doors opened and students began filtering out, Colton removed Natalie’s bags from his trunk.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No problem. I’m glad you came along with me.”
“It was fun.” She managed to smile through the mix of emotions she was experiencing.
“It had its moments.” He smiled and showed her his dimple once more.
“Well, looky what we have here!” A loud, cocky voice hollered from across the parking lot.
Colton looked over his shoulder at his friends.
“Old King Cole!” Grant called.
Natalie saw Colton wince at the nickname, and she gasped.
Colton turned his head toward her.
“What the heck?” She couldn’t believe what she had heard. “Why would he call you that?”
“He always does.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And you never told him not to?”
“He’s been calling me that since we were kids.”
A lightbulb went off. “That’s why he texted OKC yesterday.”
“Yep.”
“You didn’t tell him about your brother’s letter?”
“I told you nobody else knows about the letter. Grant and I don’t really talk about serious stuff like that.”
“Well, I’m going to tell him to stop.” She squared her shoulders, ready for a confrontation.
Colton touched her arm. “Don’t. It’s easier not to say anything.”
Her shoulders sank. She wanted more than anything to put Grant in his place, but she kept quiet as he and a few of the other guys reached them.
“We missed you, dude.” Grant's brown eyes met Natalie’s for a brief second, then returned to Colton’s. “Glad to have you back.” He wrapped one arm around Colton’s shoulder and rubbed his wet head with the other.
Colton pushed him away.
Grant turned and opened his arms to Natalie, who just stared at him with a smirk.
“Denied,” one of the guys said.
The others laughed.
“My hugs are pretty epic, if I do say so myself.” Grant tilted his head, his deep brown hair falling to the side, and raised his eyebrows at her.
“Is that so?” Natalie asked.
He opened his arms wider. “I could rock your world if you let me.”
“With a hug?” He really was full of himself.
“You know it.”
“I’ll pass.” Natalie heard Colton let out a little laugh.
“COLTON!” Lexi’s high-pitched squeal made Natalie cringe.
He didn’t seem to notice her—or maybe he chose to ignore her—and turned to Natalie. “Can I carry your bags to your room?”
She shook her head as she laid his towel over the edge of his trunk. “I can manage.” She took one bag from him and slid the straps over her shoulder.
“Are you sure?” His eyes almost appeared to be pleading with her.
She gave him a weak smile. “I’m sure.”
Natalie slung another bag and her purse over her left arm and lifted the handle on her suitcase. Just as she was about to walk toward the buses, Lexi ran past, nearly knocking Natalie over on her way to Colton.
Lexi jumped onto Colton, wrapping her arms and legs around him. He dropped his bag, arms locking around her back to hold her up, and then they kissed. Colton kissed Lexi—and not just a quick peck, but an open-mouth kiss that seemed to go on forever.
To be fair, Lexi planted the kiss on him first. But even so, Natalie thought she might die of humiliation for having witnessed it up close and personal, for believing him when he said he wanted to break up with Lexi, and for falling for a guy who already had a girlfriend.
When he finally pulled his lips away from Lexi’s, his eyes instantly searched for and found Natalie’s.
She didn’t react, simply stared at him for a few long moments, then turned and walked on toward the buses.
It was over. They were back to reality, just as she said they would be.
“Thanks for keeping him company on the trip,” Lexi called after her.
She peeked over her shoulder, taken aback at the comment as Lexi walked toward her.
“I was so worried when I heard he was driving by himself. I’m glad you were there to keep him from falling asleep and ending up in a ditch somewhere.”
“Uh …” She wasn’t quite sure whether Lexi was being sincere or not. “Yeah. We made it safe and sound.”
Lexi suddenly grabbed hold of her shoulder and turned her around, pulling her into a hug. “You’re the best.”
Natalie felt as if she had exited the vehicle into an alternate reality. This was the nicest Lexi had been to her since before they weren’t friends anymore.
Lexi let go, brushing off her shirt as if she could wipe away the water spots left by Natalie’s damp clothes. “You should come hang out with us at the beach later.”
“Uh … I better go find my friends.” She pointed toward the bus.
“OK. See ya later.” Lexi bounced across the parking lot, wrapping herself around Colton once again.
Natalie resumed walking and noticed a redhead exiting the second bus. Trinity. Sudden unexpected tears sprang to her eyes as Olivia stepped off the bus after her, and she brushed them away before anyone saw.
“Natty!” Olivia and Trinity cried simultaneously. The three girls came together in a group hug.
“Why are you soaking wet?” Olivia stepped back and pulled her now wet shirt away from her skin.
“The ocean.” Natalie ached to be standing in the chilly water again, blissed out in Colton’s warm embrace.
Trinity didn’t seem to care about the state of Natalie’s attire. “We missed you. It wasn’t the same on the bus without you. And we want to hear every detail.”
“Yeah, how was your trip?” Olivia’s eyes looked past Natalie and scanned the crowd. “Where is he?”
“Who?” Natalie asked, knowing full well who she was talking about.
Olivia raised an eyebrow at her and shifted her hip in that sassy way of hers when she caught sight of Colton. “Why is he still with her?”
&
nbsp; Natalie didn’t want to look. It was too much. “She’s his girlfriend.”
“Come on.” Trinity headed toward the chaperones. “Let’s go find our room. Then you can tell us everything.”
“I have a little news of my own,” Olivia added.
Natalie raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh?”
The girls joined up with Ms. Heath to get their room assignment.
“Nice of you to join us, Natalie.” Ms. Heath gave her a kind smile. “I was worried when your stepmother told me about your accident, but I’m happy you weren’t hurt.”
“Norma … you … you talked to Norma?” Natalie stuttered.
Ms. Heath nodded. “I did. Colton called to tell me the two of you were driving down on your own, so I had to call your parents to confirm.”
Natalie’s throat tightened as she forced a nod.
“She told me you were late because of the accident, so you caught a ride with him. I hope he drove responsibly.”
“He did. Absolutely. All the way. He never sped once, and we took turns driving and stopped to rest.” Natalie couldn’t stop herself from rambling on, nervous about Ms. Heath’s conversation with Norma. There was no way Norma told her about the road trip because neither she nor Dad knew. When Ms. Heath asked if Natalie was riding with Colton, Norma probably thought she meant riding to the school, not all the way to Virginia.
“Well, I’m glad you made it safely.” Ms. Heath checked the girls’ names off her list and held out their room keys.
“Thanks,” Natalie replied.
Trinity nearly knocked the keys out of Ms. Heath’s hand in a rush to grab them.
“Have fun, girls.” Ms. Heath chuckled.
Natalie couldn’t walk away fast enough. She was thankful for the miscommunication between Norma and Ms. Heath, but guilt and the fear of getting caught ate away at her.
The loud, obnoxious laughter of Lexi and the Hannahs drew her attention long enough to turn her focus in their direction and notice Colton watching her. Her heart ached when his lips curved into a smile. All she could do was turn away and focus on her girls.
They found their room on the ninth floor, and Olivia and Trinity squealed with delight at the view of the ocean. Natalie couldn’t seem to muster as much enthusiasm.
“Oh my gosh! Can you believe it? We totally lucked out.” Olivia tugged the sliding door to their balcony open and walked through, the salty air blowing into the room and rippling the sheer curtain.
18 Hours To Us Page 13