Page 39 of Bliss: Part 1
“Thanks, guys,” Bliss said, her face lighting up.
That’s what I wanted. For her to feel special. Always. Especially now, in the middle of all this complicated thing we’d found ourselves tangled in. She deserved it. And now, more than ever, we needed to make sure she never felt anything less.
“We ready?” I asked, raising my brows.
They nodded, and we all climbed into the truck to drive to the lake.
Twelve
Dash
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have let this many people show up tonight. But word traveled fast around here, and instead of a low-key gathering, we had at least sixty people already crowding the place, and more were definitely on the way.
Tyler had a lot of friends, and being one of them, I knew exactly how his presence affected this town. He was one of those names everyone seemed to know, no matter the context. People talked about him constantly. The guys wanted to be in his circle, and the girls…well, they all wanted to be with him.
Still, no matter how much attention he got, Tyler had always been loyal to his girlfriend, Tia. They’d been together since freshman year of high school, and they were still going strong. Tia was one of the good ones. Sweet, welcoming, always smiling, and effortlessly kind. The kind of girl who made everyone feel included.
They were both in college now, about eight hours away, but whenever they came back into town, people treated it like some kind of event. It was almost like they were royalty. Silly, maybe, in a place as small as this, but honestly, they were both genuinely good people. They deserved the attention and the affection they got.
Around us, people mingled. Talking, laughing, drinking. Rhys and Ashby had long disappeared into the crowd, and Tripp was standing off to the side with some of his old high school friends. Each of them had a beer in hand, while a couple of younger girls hovered nearby, clearly trying to catch their attention by pretending to care about whatever story they were telling.
Bliss stood beside me, quietly sipping on a cold Pepsi, her gaze drifting across the crowd. She didn’t look particularly happy or bored. Just present. Like she was simply existing in the moment, not overthinking anything, not wondering where the night might go.
I smiled when I saw her wrinkle her nose at the sight of a few rowdy eighteen-year-olds tossing a football dangerously close to the massive bonfire. One wrong throw and that thing was going straight into the flames.
I leaned closer so she could hear me over the music and the hum of conversation. “I give it two minutes before that thing lands in the fire.”
She turned her head toward me, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “I give it one more throw.”
We watched, amused, as the football nearly clipped the edge of the firepit. The guys finally realized how risky it was and wandered off, laughing it off as they moved somewhere with a little more space.
“You hungry?” I asked, turning more toward her.
“Hmm... not yet. You?”
I shrugged. “I could eat. Wanna come with me?” I nodded toward the four tables set up near the parking lot, loaded with food and drinks.
“Okay.” She smiled then, slipping her hand into mine like it was the most natural thing in the world. And for us, it was. I curled my fingers around hers, making sure she stayed close.
I guided her through the crowd toward the tables, grabbing a paper plate to load up with food. She did the same right beside me.
I grinned at her. “Changed your mind?”
She nodded. “I’m already here, so…”
I didn’t argue. We filled our plates with a mix of whatever looked good and made our way over to the area with camping chairs and benches. After finding two empty seats, we sat down and started eating.
“You haven’t talked to Tyler yet,” Bliss said between bites.
I turned my head toward her, then glanced across the crowd until I spotted him with Tia right on his arm. “He looks pretty busy. I’ll go talk to him later.”
Tyler and I had already exchanged glances earlier, the kind of look that saidI see you, we’ll catch up.I figured we’d find a moment later to sneak away and talk. I needed to hear how things were going at college, how he and Tia were holding up. And I was pretty sure he’d want to know what was happening withThe Oldand how Dad was doing.
We finished our food but stayed seated for a while, just soaking it all in. Then I turned to her.
“Hey,” I said softly, catching her attention. “You okay, Lissy?”
She looked at me with a gentle smile. “Yeah, I’m okay. You?”
