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NOAH

BIG STING ENERGY

ME

Beach day tomorrow, who’s in?

ELIJAH ANDERSON

I’ll check with Soph

THEO SCHROEDER

I don’t need permission, so hell yeah I’ll be there

JULIAN LISCERO

I’m down

DESMOND BALL

Can’t. I’ve got a top-30 tour in Vegas this weekend

JULIAN LISCERO

Boooooo

Don’t abandon us yet

Alllll byyyyy myyyy selffffff

DESMOND BALL

Save the break up songs.

i’ll be back monday

THEO SCHROEDER

put $100 on red for me

ELIJAH ANDERSON

Alright, Soph and I will be there

JULIAN LISCERO

You picking me up, cap?

ME

Can’t I’m giving Charlotte a ride

THEO SCHROEDER

Ohhhhhhhhh shit everybody stay calm

DESMOND BALL

it’s HAPPENING

JULIAN LISCERO

heavy breathing

ELIJAH ANDERSON

what about sir fuck face?

ME

see you dumbasses tomorrow

* * *

My truck rolls to a stop outside Charlotte’s building. I glance at the clock. 9:59 a.m. Right on time.

I grab my phone from the cupholder, and the damn countdown tortures me again.

NFL Draft: 19 days. 10 hours. 1 minute.

Which teams will make an offer?

Will I stay in Florida?

Will I be okay if I don’t?

Shaking away the questions I can’t answer, I pull up my thread with Charlotte.

CHARLOTTE

Me

Fun fact: the ocean covers 70% of the earth’s surface

Charlotte

I already knew that try harder

Me

Did you also know sometimes sea slugs decapitate themselves so they can grow a new body to be stronger

Charlotte

no one needs to know that

also gross

Me

hah! winner

Btw, your uber is here

Charlotte

The conversation better be excellent or it’ll reflect in your tip.

Me

I have the opportunity for a tip? Brb gonna research talking points.

A few minutes later, Charlotte strolls out of her building in a see-through cover-up and bikini so revealing, my eyes practically bulge out of my skull.

She hops in the passenger seat with a wide smile. “Hey,” she says, as my eyes wander down her body. Her beautiful, very visible, body. “Problem?”

I rub a hand against the stubble on my jaw while she buckles herself in. “Just wondering if you plan on giving everyone at the beach a fucking heart attack.”

“Noah!” Her cheeks flush, and my mouth opens and closes as I struggle for a single coherent thought. “The girls said I look hot,” she murmurs, glancing down and adjusting the material, a nipple dangerously close to popping out. A nipple I’m well-versed in the size and shape of as of last week.

Stifling a groan, I reach over, placing my hand on hers. “You do look…” Incredible. Sinful. Fuckable. “Hot.” Her skin is warm under my thumb. My eyes trail her body. So much soft skin.

“Noah?” she says, and my heated gaze finds hers.

Those brown eyes search my soul, and I clear my throat, pulling my hand back and super-gluing it to the steering wheel. Rule number one: don’t touch Charlotte . “Let’s go.”

She takes over the aux cable, and performs “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter at the top of her lungs. She’s just gotten to the second chorus when her phone rings, interrupting the live show.

“It’s my brother FaceTiming.” She angles the phone screen at me. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

“Hey, Nash,” she says, her voice happy and light.

“Hey, Lottie,” he grumbles.

“What’s wrong?” she asks him, shooting me a puzzled look.

He sighs heavily. “Our spring break is this week.”

“I’m not getting the problem,” Charlotte says. “Don’t you love being off school?”

“I love not having homework, but yesterday everyone was talking about their plans, and we have none at all. Mike is even going to Disneyland with his parents. Can you believe it? He gets to go to California, and we’re staying home.”

“I’m sorry, buddy,” Charlotte says, dragging a hand through her dark hair. “I wish I could take you and Denny somewhere, but I have school. And you know I don’t have a car anymore either.”

“Why can’t they plan all the spring breaks at the same time? And I still don’t understand why Mom took your car.”

My eyes swing, gauging her for any reaction since I was curious as well.

“Can Patricia take you two to do something?” she asks. “Or Dad?”

“Dad’s flying to New York, but he said he can’t take us, and Patricia is sick.”

Charlotte sinks in the passenger seat, her sadness stabbing at my chest. “I’m really sorry.”

“Can you visit us next weekend?” Nash asks quietly. Desperately.

“I don’t ha?—”

“Hey, Nash,” I say, interrupting Charlotte, and she sends me a sharp look.

“Hi?” he replies.

“I’m Noah,” I say. “ Lottie’s friend.”

“Oh,” he grumbles. “Hey.”

“Wanna go camping next weekend?” I ask, and Charlotte’s head snaps toward me as I glide my hands around the steering wheel. I probably should have run it by her first.

“Are you serious?!” Nash exclaims, shouting through the phone with a huge smile on his face.

Charlotte whisper-shouts at me. “What are you doing?”

I definitely should have run it by her first.

“You’ll have to make sure it’s okay with your parents,” I continue, a nervous buzz under my skin. “But if th?—”

“It’ll be fine! Are you serious?” Nash asks again.

“Yeah.” I smile, straightening my shoulders. “I’m sure.”

Charlotte whispers, “I thought you were going to Daytona with the guys.”

“Well, now we’re going camping,” I whisper back.

“Alright, Nashy,” Charlotte says, not taking her confused eyes off me. “I’ll call Mom later to talk about the details, okay?”

“Okay!” His energy flows through the screen. “Thanks, Lottie! Thanks, Noah!” His voice fades away. “I can’t even believe this. Denny! Guess what? We’re go?—”

The line goes dead, and I glance over at Charlotte. Her eyes are narrowed on me, brows furrowed, cute little wrinkles on her forehead.

“I don’t understand,” she says as I return my eyes to the road.

“What’s to understand?” I shrug, ignoring the jitters dancing through me at the idea of us spending a weekend together. “They wanted to go somewhere for spring break. I love camping. Win, win.”

I don’t love camping.

But I used to go a lot after Mom and Tony first got together when I wasn’t comfortable with him being alone with her. Especially in the middle of nowhere.

So, I know how to camp. And it was the first thing that came to mind given we went for spring break when I was younger.

“I don’t have a sleeping bag, a tent, nothing,” Charlotte argues. “I don’t even know how to camp. How the hell to put up a tent.”

“Char.” I chuckle, interrupting her freak-out. “Calm down. I used to go all the time. My family has everything. Even canoes.”

“But what about Daytona?” she asks timidly. Does she not want to go?

“Screw Daytona,” I reply, waving a hand. “Camping sounds a lot more enjoyable than seeing Theo’s bare ass.”

She whips her head to me. “What?”

“Story for another time. So what do you say? We taking the kids camping?”

She eyes me, a searing gaze running down my body. “Looks like we are.”

* * *

Elijah tosses me a beer as I plop on a towel, burying my feet in the warm sand. I crack it open and take a long pull, and he lowers himself next to me.

“Won’t be the same without you next year,” he says, arms resting on his knees while his eyes remain glued on Sophia, who’s taking pictures down by the shore with Charlotte and Sage.

“Thanks.” We clank our metal cans. “You’re gonna do a hell of a job as captain.”

Elijah shakes his head. “I’ll never live up to you.”

“Stop being such a sappy fuck.” I nudge his shoulder, gratitude filling me.

“Sorry.” He huffs a laugh. “I think Sophia broke me.” A slaphappy grin is glued to his face as he watches her.

“I think she fixed you, man.”

His cheeks redden. “You may be right.”

“What’s up?” Theo asks, joining us with our friend and fellow teammate, Julian, following behind.

“Nothing, just discussing the fact Elijah’s man card has been permanently revoked,” I joke.

Theo laughs. “Yeah, it’s tucked tight in Sophia’s little pu?—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Elijah warns.

Theo puts his hands up. “I was going to say purse .” He smirks. “Maybe you should get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Whatever,” Elijah says, nudging Theo’s leg. “You’ll see someday. Poor girl.”

“Hey!” Theo says, hand on his chest. “She’ll be lucky to have a man like me.” Elijah and I share a look and laugh. “Assholes.” He waves us off.

“So, I’m not going to Daytona next weekend,” I say, deciding to drop the truth bomb on them all at once. Their heads whip to me.

“What?” Theo yells.

“Dude,” Julian deadpans.

“Are you kidding? It’s our last bro trip before you graduate,” Elijah says, guilting me.

“Tequila and tits,” Theo says, as if those two words alone should make me change my mind. “Tequila. And. Tits.”

“Sorry,” I say, fighting a smile.

“Why can’t you come?” Julian asks. “You got another top-30 meet?”

“No,” I say shifting in place. “I’m taking Charlotte and the twins camping.”

“They better be some hot cheerleader twins if you’re skipping out on our last guys trip for them,” Theo says.

“No, dumbass,” Elijah says. “He means Charlie’s little brother and sister.”

“What?” Theo shrieks.

“This dick is trying to say my man card’s lost.” Elijah pokes me. “What the hell do you call this?”

“It’s not the same,” I argue, rubbing the back of my neck as the tips of my ears burn.

“How the hell not?” Elijah asks.

“We’re just friends!” My tone is clearly defensive, and I lower my voice. “Char doesn’t have a car, and the twins were sad as shit about their spring break. So I offered to take them camping.”

“Don’t you hate camping?” Elijah reminds me.

“I’m trying to evolve,” I say, with a sarcastic smile.

“Doesn’t Charlie have a boyfriend?” Julian asks.

“Not anymore,” I say, and all three of their heads snap towards me. “But that’s irrelevant. We’re just friends.”

“ Oookay .” Theo huffs a laugh. “And Elijah’s never got his dick stuck in someone.”

“Let it gooooo !” Elijah groans, slapping Theo on the head.

“Listen, you didn’t hear the way her brother sounded about having nothing to do for spring break.” Another pang hits my chest. “We can go to Daytona anytime. I’d feel like shit knowing I’m there having a good time while he’s sitting at home, doing nothing.”

“Mm-hmm.” Theo narrows his eyes at me. “You’re doing this for her brother . Sure.”

“Fuck off.” I flick a bit of sand his way with my foot. “I’ll make it up to you guys.”

“You better,” Theo says, chucking a football at me that I catch with one hand while downing my beer with the other. “You’re gonna be a big rich NFL player next year. You can whisk your boys off on a fancy weekend getaway to make it up to us.”

“I promise to send you all a dozen roses for your trouble.” I stand up, sand trickling off me, football in hand, and the boys follow my lead.

“I’ll be waiting,” Elijah says, shuffling backwards, and I launch the ball to him.

The second it’s out of my possession, my gaze drifts to Charlotte spinning around by the water’s edge. Her eyes lock with mine, and she stumbles to a pause. My lips curve up in response, and her jaw drops as my head is pelted with a football.

“Oww?!” I place my hand against it, looking around for the culprit.

Theo is keeled over in laughter with his hands on his knees.

“Dude.” Elijah shakes his head. “You are so fucked.”