Addicted to You(63)

A sensation trickled through my chest. It was a little painful and heavy, and exactly the emotion I’d been avoiding since getting my nursing school acceptance letter.

My gaze skimmed the crowd until it landed on Landon. He nodded his head as a few of the guys talked his ear off. I smiled, loving his sociability, then moved on, taking in the ocean, the sky, the beach. I even spotted the youngest Callahan. Owen. While Landon was adored by the over-sixty crowd, Owen attracted the under-twenty crowd. Not that I doubted Landon’s ability to make any girl swoon—he was approachable, friendly, and easy to talk to, whereas Owen, well, he had this cockiness about him that I think made girls feel almost flattered to get a moment of his attention. I didn’t doubt that one day that attitude would get him in trouble. I continued scanning the crowd until I finally spotted Colby and my chest tightened further. The only word to come to mind was heartache.

This was home.

Colby was home.

I hadn’t even moved yet but I was homesick.

It was probably the worst reason to drink more, but I needed something to numb this feeling. It was a party, after all. I should be having fun.

Landon appeared in the kitchen right then.

“Just the man I was looking for.”

“Oh? What’s up?”

“I need a drink. Something stronger than the last one.” I quickly added, “But it still needs to taste good.”

“Hmm…okay. I can manage that.”

He turned to the bottles lining the counter, looking through each to see what he had to work with, then got busy making me a drink. “So have you and Colby talked much?”

“Not really. Why? Is he avoiding me or something?”

He chuckled. “You always presume the worst?”

I shrugged. “When it comes to him, it doesn’t seem safe to be optimistic.” I leaned against the counter and stared out at the crowd. “I’m going to be gone soon. The opportunity is passing. And maybe that’s for the best. I mean if we can’t even manage a here-and-now relationship, what makes me think we’d be any good at a long-distance one?”

“While I hear what you are saying, I will mention that I think he’s going through a little rough patch in general. I think he’s trying to figure stuff out and make decisions that will keep everyone happy. You should talk to him. He could use a fr—he could use you.” He handed me a red cup. “See what you think.”

I sipped the drink. “Mm, perfect. Keep them coming.”

He laughed. “Seriously?”

“Totally.”

“If you’re sure, I’ll make a pitcher. It’ll be in the fridge and you can help yourself. I’ll even hide it in back so none of the guys get to it before you can.”

“Sounds good.” I grinned. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Take it easy though. They may taste sweet but I promise you they have their fair share of alcohol.”

I gave him a thumbs-up. “Got it.” As I made my way out of the kitchen, I ran into Taylor.

“Hey girl. You started packing yet?”

I sighed. “Nope, but I definitely need to add that to my to-do list.”

“Are you excited?” Her eyebrows bunched together as she studied my face.

“Um, yeah?”

She laughed. “Is that an answer or a question?”

I shrugged, not wanting to admit all my thoughts out loud, knowing they’d bring me down even further. The best thing to do right now was to push all my sadness far from my mind.

“Well, if you need help give me a call.”

“I might have to take you up on that.” I took another drink, happy that it felt like it’d do the job. I’d be buzzed and worry-free in no time.

The best place for some solitary chugging was the beach. I pushed through the crowd and out the little fence surrounding Colby’s backyard. I’d planned to just find a nice spot in the sand but when I saw Colby had beat me to it, I was compelled to sit right down next to him.

“Hey.”

He looked up, his eyes widened. “Hey, what are you doing out here? It’s your party. Go have fun.”

“This is fun. I love the beach. It’s getting cool though.”

“I have a sweatshirt in my room. I can run—” he started to stand but I stopped him.

“It’s okay. Just hang out with me?”

“Of course.”

We sat in silence for several minutes. The ocean was calm, considering the breeze was light, but the lower the sun sank the more the temps dropped, and even the lightest brush of wind felt chilly.

I’d been watching Colby for a while and he’d seemed completely unaware, so lost in thought I couldn’t help but wonder where his mind was. “What are you thinking about? Right now.”