“Alright, Barracuda, you get to open,” he winked.
Bri let Cole help her for the first few hands, until she got the hang of it. Unfortunately, her solo stint didn’t last long, and she quickly ran out of chips. Apparently she was a terrible bluffer. But she still enjoyed the rest of the night watching the others play. She was surprised to find out that Claire was an awesome poker player. And as the night wore on, it ended up being Cole and Claire in the final hand. To Bri’s delight, Cole won.
Bri went to bed that night, her abs sore from too much laughing, a smoldering victory kiss from Cole still lingering on her lips, and feeling lighter and better than she had since her mom died. She had thoroughly enjoyed her time with both the Marra’s and the Hamilton’s, and she wished that her family was as carefree and comfortable with each other. There was always an undercurrent of tension in Bri’s family when they were together, and she longed for the lightheartedness that Cole’s family shared. She was sad that her time with them had come to an end.
Bri woke to a foggy morning. She dressed and packed up her duffle bag, making sure she didn’t leave behind Cole’s gifts. She hadn’t worn her necklace yet, she didn’t want to risk it falling into the ocean, but decided the danger was almost over and put it on. She then joined the others in the kitchen for one last breakfast. Cole smiled at her when he saw the necklace. After she finished eating, it was time to say goodbye.
She gave Sharon a huge hug, thanking her for her hospitality, and even Scott pulled her in for brief side hug. Claire was already crying when she pulled Bri in for a death squeeze.
“You have my cell number, so you’d better call me,” Claire demanded through her sobs. “We need to hang out soon, so don’t make me wait too long, okay?”
“I won’t,” Bri promised truthfully. “And you can call, or stop by my house anytime you want,” she smiled at Claire. “See you soon, okay?”
Claire sniffed and nodded her agreement. Then Bri turned to Sebastian. After a moment of total awkwardness, Seb grunted, “Get over here already,” and gave Bri a surprisingly warm hug. “Cole’s lucky he found you... first. And when this idiot,” he released her and eyed Cole, “finds a way to screw it all up, you know where to find me,” he smirked.
“You just keep dreaming, Seb,” Cole smirked back as he put his arm around Bri. She could feel her face flushing. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of Sebastian, or what just happened, but not wanting to dwell on it, she let Cole lead her out to the dinghy.
Jimmy drove them to the dock, and Bri gave him a hug goodbye.
“Thanks for inviting me,” she smiled at Jimmy. “And thanks for convincing my dad to let me come.”
“You’re very welcome. See you around, Barracuda,” he winked at her. “Oh, and Cole? Don’t be too late.”
Cole nodded and grabbed Bri’s bag. They waved to Jimmy as he drove back to the boat. They walked up the street and out onto the pier, where they watched Scott maneuver his beautiful boat out of the bay and into the open sea. Bri looked up at Cole.
“Thanks for taking the ferry with me. I have to admit, the return trip would’ve been a little depressing by myself.”
“Believe me, I’d much rather be here with you,” he pulled her in and kissed the top of her head.
They bought their tickets for the ferry, and seeing as they had a little extra time, decided to take one last walk down the beach. They walked awhile in silence, the waves lapping up around their ankles.
“You’re awfully quiet this morning,” he observed.
“I’m just a little sad that we have to go home. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back and face reality yet.”
“Face reality?”
“Yeah, the whole Serena thing, having to pretend we don’t know each other, new classes. We won’t have Ceramics anymore, so the only time I’ll get to see you is History. We won’t be able to talk to each other all day,” she sighed. “It was nice to be able to forget about all that for a few days.”
“Yes, it was,” Cole agreed somberly.
She looked up at him. His dark hair was being tossed about by the breeze, and his eyes were the same gray-blue color as the ocean. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anyone so perfect. The thought of having to ignore him for eight hours a day at school was almost more than she could bear.
“You know what I wish?” she asked.
“What?” he looked over at her.
“I wish we could at least be friends at school, if not a couple. Do you know how hard it is to ignore you all day? How much energy it takes not to look at you?”