Across the Pond

Chapter 38

I walk into the theatre room and can't believe my eyes. Remi is leaning on Brooks's shoulder as his arm is wrapped around hers, and they're both...sleeping.

"Shhh," I immediately say once I hear Nico walk in, stopping him with my hand.

"What the fuck?" he voices what we're both thinking the second that he looks ahead.

"Is this some sort of twisted joke?" I ask.

"If it is, I'm not laughing."

I blink a few times, thinking that the motion will erase the sight before me. "Okay...just...be quiet."

"Brooks!" Nico shouts with his hands around the corners of his mouth. "Yo, Brooks."

"Nico," I smack his stomach and call out. "Are you kidding? I just told you to be quiet."

"He's going to wake up from this and beat my ass once he sees what's going on."

"Well it's too late for that, now isn't it?"

Nico grabs onto his waist and exhales, and we both make our way out into the hallway.

"I think they look cute together," I say, and Nico squints his eyes at me, giving me a look like I'm out of my mind.

"Don't even plant that seed in her mind, BC."

"Don't worry. I can promise you that Remi doesn't feel an ounce of anything for Brooks." I press the screen on my phone to check the time. It's almost midnight. "We really should wake them though. I've gotta get going."

"Why are you leaving?"

"Because it's almost 12 AM, and it's been a long day."

"But you had fun though. Right?"

When I gaze at Nico, he has this look of hope on his face. Like if I don't confirm what he wants to hear, it'll tear him up inside. The thing is, I did have fun. Too much fun. But until I can separate my friendship with Nico from my romantic feelings for him, then I really have to start keeping my distance.

"Yeah, I did."

He reaches for my arms with both of his hands, rubbing them up and down. "You're a special one, BC."

"The good kind of special, I hope."

"The great kind of special."

I give him half of a smirk and then breath out. "I think we better wake them up."

***

Wendy closed the shop today because she's out of town visiting her niece, which means I get the day off. So, Grandma Ruby came up with the idea to drive down to Jacksonville, which is just a little over an hour away from Wilmington. She told me to extend the invite to Remi, who oh so gladly accepted within 10 seconds of me offering, so now it's me, Grandma, Remi and mom in the car.

"Turn it up, I love this song!" I say when Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' plays on the radio.

"So, did you mention the Cara thing to Nico?" Remi interrupts my singing and asks. When I told Remi about Cara's Instagram Story of her and her friends at the beach, she was convinced that she and Nico broke up. I mean it does make sense. What doesn't make sense is the fact that Nico hasn't mentioned anything to me about it...assuming that it's true.

"Why would I? If your theory is in fact correct, then Nico clearly doesn't want me knowing about it."

"He knows that you follow her on Instagram. Does he not think that you didn't watch her Story?"