Chapter 2

What started as a trip for two turned into a group road trip.

Somehow, Nolan and Zoe ended up walking ahead of everyone else, talking quietly.

Without asking me, they decided everyone would drive the rest of Highway One together.

As they talked, their arms brushed now and then, and every so often they smiled at each other.

I fell behind, and Nolan never once looked back.

Zoe was already in the passenger seat, and the car was about to pull away before he finally noticed I was missing.

He rolled down the window.

"What took you so long?

"Sit in the back. Zoe gets carsick, so she's taking the front."

He said it casually, without even looking at me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Everyone else acted like it was perfectly normal.

"Sure." I scoffed. "Let Zoe have it."

The car filled with the scent of Zoe's perfume, a blend of fir and amber. It was Nolan's favorite scent, too.

I rolled down the rear passenger window and let the sea breeze carry the perfume away.

Zoe looked at me in the rearview mirror and smiled.

"Did you two go whale watching?"

She didn't wait for my answer. She turned to Nolan.

"Remember? We got lucky both times we came here. Each time, we saw a pod of whales."

Nolan nodded. "I remember.

"I remember telling you to bundle up, and you wouldn't listen. Your face went white from the cold."

The whole car burst out laughing.

I was the only one who couldn't.

They talked the whole drive, and before I knew it, we'd reached the outdoor restaurant where we had a dinner reservation.

By the time I sat down, the only seat left at the long table was in the far corner.

Nolan and Zoe sat together. The server assumed they were a couple celebrating an anniversary and even brought them a complimentary chocolate lava cake.

The server congratulated them warmly, and even nearby diners chimed in.

Neither Nolan nor Zoe corrected the mistake. They just smiled and thanked the server.

Meanwhile, I sat at the far end of the table like an awkward extra, propping my chin on my hand and watching the show.

"Nolan, aren't we supposed to be the ones celebrating an anniversary?" I asked sarcastically. After a beat, I added, "Or did you two get back together?"

The table went silent, and everyone looked at me as if I'd ruined the mood.

Nolan pushed the cake a little toward me and shot me a warning look.

"I told Zoe we came here for our second anniversary.

"So she asked the restaurant to bring this over.

"Zoe meant well, and so did the server. It was an honest mistake."

His voice was flat. "Ella, there's no need to be sarcastic and make everyone uncomfortable."

My eyes stung, but I stubbornly refused to look away.

Seeing that, Zoe gave Nolan's arm a light pat.

"Okay, okay. Your girlfriend loves you a lot, so she's a little sensitive."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"Now I remember why you look so familiar.

"Nolan, you said you met through work. Don't you remember? Ella was the underclassman who told you she liked you the year you graduated high school."

I went rigid.

In high school, I was a year behind Nolan.

When he graduated, I thought I'd never see him again, so I raced to school and slipped a letter confessing everything I felt into his locker.

But as luck would have it, Zoe and Nolan saw me.

"Sorry." Zoe smiled and lifted their joined hands slightly. "He's already my boyfriend."

I stumbled back, my face burning, too flustered to know what to say.

I burst through the door with tears in my eyes. As I ran out, I heard Zoe complaining to Nolan.

"That is so cheesy.

"Nolan, should I toss it?"

Nolan stood with his hands in his pockets and replied nonchalantly, "Whatever you want."

From the hallway, I watched Zoe throw that letter into the trash. It felt as if a lead weight had dropped into my chest.

Without the letter, Nolan never found out why I'd fallen for him in the first place.

During my freshman year, I bombed a test and hid somewhere to cry. That was when I ran into him.

He complained that I was way too loud, but he still walked me through the entire test.

"You're so smart. What are you crying for?"

Even after he'd walked away, the smell of laundry detergent from his shirt seemed to hang in the air. I never forgot it.

After we started dating, I cautiously brought up what had happened in high school.

But he just frowned and asked, "Did we ever meet back then? I don't really remember."

So I never brought it up again.

I just hadn't expected it to come out in front of everyone like this.

I stared hard at Nolan.

He paused for a second, then answered calmly, "Really? I don't remember."

His eyes drifted back to Zoe.

A lump formed in my throat. I couldn't speak.

After a moment of silence, I let out a bitter laugh.

"Well, I remember.

"Too bad Zoe threw my love letter in the trash."

The moment I said it, the whole table fell silent.