Page 5 of Forever Cursed

They freeze at the sound of his voice, and Zack barrels in to save Gwen from Chrissy’s antics. She fights against him, trying to hide her amusement.

I didn’t think it was possible, but Chrissy is more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Her blonde hair is long with tight curls, her lips are lathered in pink chapstick, and even though her eyes are covered with dark sunglasses, I can imagine the sparkle behind her lenses.

I shake my head and avert my attention to Gwen. “Happy birthday!”

She smiles up at me and takes the purple gift bag from my hands.

I don’t know what she says next. My gaze and ability to listen are drawn to Chrissy. I feel her eyes on me, trailing from my hair to my pecs, leaving me hotter than I was a second before. I get the feeling she shares the same feelings as me because she’s never quiet. Whenever I’m around, she gets shy, and it’s fucking adorable. I’d give anything to hold her against me, to feel her body pressed to mine.

Fuck, I’m doing it again.Game face, Rome, game face.

Gwen’s shriek brings me back to reality. “How did you know?!”

“I’m an excellent gift giver.” I’m lying. I’m a terrible gift giver, but I don’t want to burst her moment of happiness.

“He’s stealing my thunder. I told him that book has been on your TBR for months.” Zack says, completely stealingmythunder.

“But who told you that?” Ash chimes in, and before you know it, we’re all going back and forth.

Chrissy pops in, and my voice cuts out. She’s talking, but I can’t hear what she’s saying. Her beauty has stunned me.

Next thing I know, Gwen throws a towel at Ash’s face, and they start to play fight.

“Hey, Chrissy.” I can’t hold it back anymore. I need to have her attention on me again.

“Hi, Rome.”

And there goes my game face.

We don’t pack up until the sun sets. Ash offers to treat everyone to ice cream before the trek back, and who am I to deny free food? It’s practically against my DNA to refuse.

As I look out at the beach, I zip my hoodie and rest my elbows on the wooden rail. Night has settled in, giving the view an enchanting ambiance. The sky has become a vast canvas adorned with countless twinkling stars, and the moon casts asilvery glow upon the gentle waves lapping at the shore. The cool breezes carry the scent of salt and seaweed.

I perk up at the sound of my friends’ laughter, prompting a weak smile. It’s been so long since I felt truly at home, but in this moment, surrounded by laughter, I’m reminded of what it feels like. The salty sea air comforts me. My muscles relax the moment the scent hits me. When I was younger, my parents loved taking spontaneous beach trips. That all ended when my mom left. Ever since then, I seldom feel comfortable or safe.

Maybe that’s the reason I don’t date. I tend to keep girls I’m interested in more than an arm’s length away. Perhaps it’s best I leave the romance side of my life to casual hookups.

“Whatcha doing over here?” Chrissy jolts me from my thoughts.

“Just thinking.”

With a wide smile, she hands me a waffle cone with chocolate soft serve and sprinkles.

“I don’t think too often. It’s not worth the headache,” she teases before placing her spoon in her mouth. “Want to talk about it?”

“I just don’t get out much. This is nice.” I lick around the cone, snagging the melting areas before they reach my hand.

Turning around, I rest my back against the rail, and Chrissy does the same. I observe Gwen and Ash as they smile at one another. Zack is there too, but he’s always grinning at something.

“They really are lucky,” Chrissy mumbles.

“Why do you say that?” I know whyIthink Gwen and Ash are lucky, but I want to hear why Chrissy shares the same thought.

“They have each other. Can you imagine having someone to rely on day in and day out? Knowing there’s someone out there who loves you as much as, if not more than, you love them? I watched that girl crush hard on him for years. I used to tease herabout it, harboring a crush for so long. It’s like she knew they were meant to be, and she waited until the time was right. But man, their journey was an adventure. A very fun, heartbreaking, and romantic adventure.” Chrissy sighs before dropping her bowl in a trash can.

“I thought you and Miles were close to having what they have. Was I wrong?”

“We might have been close last summer, but it didn’t click. I admire that man. I really do. He deserves someone who will look at him, well, like that.” Chrissy gestures toward Ash.

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