Page 97 of Miles Apart
Emma
“Are you mad?” I peek over the rim of my sunglasses at Justice in the lounger next to me. She’s still staring, arms and ankles crossed in a cutout cover-up dress. It would make me nervous if her face wasn’t bunched up like she’s about to tell Roger to go home.
“If you’re asking if I’m upset that you’ve kept your relationship with Miles a secret for months, and the fact he’s been staying with you—”
Here it comes.
She reaches for my hand. “No. Disappointed that you felt the need to tiptoe around me? Sure, but I’m not upset. Now, surprised is a different story. Are you sure you want to be with him?”
“Don’t talk shit on my name!” Miles shouts from across the pool where he and Terrence sit, legs grazing through the surface of the illuminated water, wearing matching coconut tree swim trunks. I’m not even going to ask how they coordinated that.
“Don’t make me pop you again, Miles Devonté!”
“Aye!” Miles points a finger at Justice with a tight lower lip. He rubs the back of his neck at the memory of her smacking him and mumbles something to Terrence, who snickers and leans back on his towel.
Justice’s smirk says it all.
Once she put together that Miles was the man at the singles’ retreat and the one I cried about on our video call, she let him have it. After Terrence had his talk with Miles, Justice found a step stool and went upside his head for leaving the way he did. She chased him around with a spatula until Miles pleaded with Terrence to get his wife. Justice might be a hopeless romantic, but she gets her licks too.
“As I was saying”—Miles looks away when Justice hits him with a playful stare—“it took a minute to get over the reality of you two actually together. That said, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.” She studies me. “Have you told him how you really feel?”
“No.”
She frowns. “Em.”
“I love him,” I release into the night air, freeing me from the fear of uttering my confession.
I love his gentleness.
The pauses he takes before kissing me.
His intelligence. His protectiveness. His wildly uncensored mouth.
“I know,” she says quietly. Justice motions to Miles. “Now tell him.”
“We—I—it’s complicated, Jay.”
Miles and my gaze meet under a starry night. We spent the rest of the day with Justice and Terrence. We went out to lunch and swung by my house for our bathing suits while Jay and T stopped by the store to get food to grill for dinner.
Most of the evening has been by the pool. Miles and Terrence are still getting in a few laps. Justice and I got out an hour ago to unprune and catch up.
My best friend is pregnant. Justice let the news slip during her argument with Terrence. Her confession stopped time. I couldn’t reach her fast enough, and we shared hugs and tears.
This is the first time the four of us are together since Miles and I became more than friends. Our dynamic shifted, but not in the way I imagined. Being with Miles and our friends feels like the last pieces of a puzzle coming together. We always fit, but we shuffled to squeeze in the wrong spot when the best place was by each other’s side.
I can admit that now, but it doesn’t remove the fear that something will go wrong.
“I hate to break it to you, but from what you’ve told me, you two have been in a relationship whether you want to admit it or not. You’re making time for each other, and that’s beautiful.” Light from the pool glimmers over her pecan skin with gold undertones. The warmth of her smile echoes in her voice. “Tell him, Em.”
My gaze reaches for the stars. Night extends beyond the domed concrete home, past the echo of waves from the Pacific Ocean in the distance. Lights inside the house glow over the backyard and pool, where Miles sits studying me.
It’s hard to let people in. To trust. I don’t make room for many changes in my life, but I don’t have to with Miles. Even from a distance, he’s been a part of it, our connection rooted in our love for our best friends. We found each other when we weren’t looking, where we least expected.
“It’s okay.”
I tear my eyes away from him. “What?”
“To let him love the parts you don’t think are lovable.”
