Page 30 of Chasing You

I angrily dumptwo cups of flour into my mixing bowl, picking up my spatula and folding it through the wet mixture.

I rip open the small packet of chocolate chips and tip them in haphazardly, a few rogue pieces scattering across my kitchen countertop and onto the floor.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I curse as my foot lands on the chocolate, smooshing it into the wooden floor.

My phone buzzes on the countertop, sending me into sensory overload as I hop around my tiny kitchen trying to wipe the chocolate from the bottom of my foot. Why is nothing going my way today?

I debate letting it ring, but when Rosalie’s name flashes on my screen, I hit accept instead.

“Hi!” she sings through the phone.

“You are way too cheery on a regular basis,” I say, throwing the cloth I just used on my foot into my room, aiming for the washing basket.

“What's up your ass today?” she says.

“Miles motherfucking Beckett.”

“What?” she asks. “Miles? LikethatMiles?”

“Yes,thatMiles,” I groan as I lay baking paper on a tray.

I hear a sharp crunch before she’s mumbling into the phone. “Please elaborate.”

I let out a sigh as I roll the cookie dough in between my palms, before placing the small ball on the tray. “You remember how I told you about Isla? Caio’s fiancé?”

“Yeah. Wait, wasn’t the wedding last week?”

“Yup.” I roll out another cookie.

“Oh, how was it?” she asks, her tone excited.

“Well, Miles was there.” I slap down the dough onto the tray with a little more force than necessary, but I can't get this spark of anger out of my system.

“Again,” she says. “I’m going to need you to elaborate.”

“He’s Isla's brother.”

It’s silent on the other end of the line, and I have to check to see that the call is still active. “Let me get this straight,” she says after a while. “Miles, the guy who broke your heart, is related to one of your best friends?”

“Yup,” I say again.

“Oh, that’s fucked up.”

“Tell me about it.” I wrench open the oven door, sliding the first tray of cookies in before I lean back against the counter.

“How are you feeling?” she asks.

“Pissed.”

“Fair,” she says.

I pick up my phone and walk the two steps it takes me to reach my couch, flopping down and resting my phone on my chest. “He cornered me in the girl’s bathroom because he wanted to talk to me.”

“Oh my god,” she breathes. “What did he say?”

“I didn’t stick around to find out. I had this half assed go at him and then stormed off. I’m still angry about it.” I can't shake off the feeling that Miles left on my skin.

Seeing him again, hearing his voice, and smelling his colognejust took me straight back in time. Back to that summer and all of the feelings I had. I think I loved him back then, and I think that’s what makes everything worse.

---