Page 59 of Those Summer Nights (Sweet Cravings 2)

I had technically told him Kristen would just be walking down to the party with us. I could tell he was confused, but couldn’t he see that he had more in common with Kristen?

There were at least a couple hundred people already there, sitting on blankets and beach chairs, and dancing near the stage. One extra person on our kind of date seemed perfectly normal in the chaos. Plus, I was going to flip it so that I was the third wheel.

"Sorry, I should have thought to bring a blanket,” Reggie said.

"That's okay. We don't mind sitting in the sand." I immediately sat down. See, I’m a weirdo who sits in the sand. Like my friend instead of me!

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. “I mean…either of you?” He glanced at Kristen.

I knew he was searching for clarity in this awkwardness, but I didn’t know what to do. "I'll just have one of whatever you're having,” I said.

“Same,” Kristen said. “Here I have some cash…” she started rummaging around in her purse.

“I got it. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the crowd.

Kristen sat down next to me. “Yeah…this is a date. And I’m totally in the way.”

“It’s not and you’re not. Actually…I think the two of you could make a cute couple.”

“First you make me awkwardly crash your date and now you want me to steal your date? Have you lost your mind? I’m leaving.” She started to stand up.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the sand. “Please don’t leave.”

“I’m third-wheeling so hard right now and I hate it.”

“God, I swear it’s not a date,” I said. “I barely know him.”

“That’s what dates are for, Mila. It’s a chance to get to know each other.”

“So…he’ll get to know you instead.”

“You are the worst,” Kristen said.

I laughed.

She shook her head and started laughing too. “I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“No, I hate you,” she said.

“Please don’t leave.”

“You’re forcing me to be the opposite of a wingman. I should have taken that shift.” She started laughing again. “You’re insane, you do know that, right?”

I stuck my bottom lip out at her.

“Put that away.” She pressed her hand against my face, making us both laugh again. “So what exactly was your plan here?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know…I thought maybe it would be good for me to go on a date with someone new. J.J. clearly isn’t into me like that. But now that I’m here? I just miss him.”

She sighed. “Fine, I’ll stay and be a total cockblocker. You’re lucky that Reggie is really cute. But here’s the new plan…we need to find J.J. If you’re going to spend all night being awkward anyway, you might as well be making J.J. jealous.”

“I don’t know…”

“Give that dirtbag a taste of his own medicine.”

“He’s not a dirtbag.”

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