Page 77 of Small Town Firsts

“I know you do. Have you heard from him?” Her question causes my tears to fall faster, harder.

“N–no. He’s finished with me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No, I do, and I deserve it. If there’s one thing Cash hates, it’s a cheater, which he thinks I am. I brought this on myself.”

“Oh, Myla?—”

“No, don’t you ‘Oh, Myla’ me. I did this. I broke us, and you’re right, I need to stop wallowing. Crying hasn’t ever once changed shit, and it’s certainly not going to now.”

Azalea’s cheeks split into a wide smile. “You opened your mouth, and Grams came out, girl. Because that sounded exactly like what she’d tell you.”

At that, I smile. My first post-Cash smile—something I wasn’t sure was possible. Feeling a little stronger, I shut off the water and wrap myself in a fluffy towel. “Wanna grab something to eat?”

“Sister-girl, I thought you’d never ask.”

After getting dressed, Azalea ushers me down the stairs and into the passenger seat of her little BMW Z4—a graduation gift from her mom and pops.

“Where are we going?”

“Late lunch and a movie. We gotta get your mind off he-who-shall-not-be-named.”

Through my laughter I tell her, “While I appreciate the effort, you can say his name. We share friends, and I don’t want y’all walking around on eggshells around me, okay?”

“You’re stronger than me, Myles, that’s for damn sure.”

We spend the rest of the drive in a comfortable silence—me lost in my thoughts, and Azalea, well, Lord only knows why she’s being so quiet.

I don’t realize I’ve nodded off until Azalea puts the car in park. “Come on, we’re here.”

I take a few moments to get my bearings and realize she’s driven us across the bay. “Why’re we in Mobile?”

“Thought a change of scenery would be nice, and this restaurant is supposed to be to die for.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I tell her as she links her arm with mine, leading me toward the little bistro. It’s unseasonably cool for June, so we opt to sit on the patio. Over the course of lunch, AzzyJo tries to distract my muddled brain and hurt heart with small talk, but it’s no use. Cash Carson is so embedded into my heart that thoughts of him flow through my veins.

“Myla Rose, have you heard a word I said?”

“Honestly? No.” I feel bad, but . . .

She lets out a frustrated huff. “I give up. Obviously, talking isn’t the answer. So, let’s move on to the distraction portion of our day. What movie you wanna see?”

“What’s playing?” Azalea whips out her phone and pulls up the show times before sliding it across the table to me. I scan the list twice over before settling on the newPirates of the Caribbeanmovie. Johnny and Orlando aren’t a cure-all, but they’re something good, and that’s good enough.

By the time we walk out of the theater, the sun has set, and we can’t stop talking about the movie. It was good enough that once my brain told my heart to shut it, I really got into it.

“Aren’t you glad I pulled you outta the house today?” Azalea asks with a proud smile.

“Yeah, yeah,” I say, pausing to dial Simon’s number. I’ve watched all the rest of thePiratesmovies with him, and seeing this one with Azalea feels like betrayal, and I need to confess.

“Oh, no, Myla, don’t?—”

Her words fall away when Simon answers on the third ring. “Myles, hey. What’s up?”

“I’ve gotta tell you something, Sim. Don’t be mad, okay?”

“I could never be mad at you.”

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