Chapter Thirty-Three

"Alright, that's all my stuff." I huffed, setting my second suitcase down in the living room. "Anything else left in the truck?" After my short time with the two of them they told me that they had to go home, where I met them was just their summer home. So we packed up and drove to Los Aniegos, a city I had passed through on my way out of Bridgeport. The house was amazing though, big backyard with a pool, and they had even called ahead and had one of their friends set up the spare bedroom for me.

"Nah, you just sit here and rest." Eddie said, texting a friend. "No need to overexert yourself."

"Okay." I sat down on the suitcase and Eddie hurried up the stairs. The sweater I wore was a bit too warm for the city's weather but it was Reece's and the only thing I had from home. Scarlett hummed to herself as she walked down the stairs. The door bell rang.

"Come in!' Scarlett called, heading over to the door. A young man with tousled red hair walked in. He smiled at Scarlett.

"Josh!" She exclaimed.

"Hey there Lettie." 

"What are you doing here?" She asked cheerily. "It's been so long!"

"I live here, remember?" He laughed. Scarlett suddenly remembered I was in the room.

"Oh! Sorry, Vinnie this is Joshua; childhood friend. Josh this is Vinnie, she's been staying with Ed and I." She said, motioning to me. Josh walked over, I stood up.

"Hi." I smiled, looking him up and down. He wasn't as tall as Reece, but he was almost as muscular. His eyes were a brilliant blue and his hair was an interesting red color.

"Hey." Josh smiled again. "Well I was thinking that I invite you all out for drinks tonight."

"Ooh that sounds great. Vinnie? You wanna go?" Scarlett said from the front door. The last time I'd gone drinking I'd gotten pregnant. Not to mention I was currently pregnant and therefore couldn't drink. 

 "What do you say?" Well I couldn't say no to those eyes.

"Sure." I gave him the most genuine smile I could muster.

"Great! Meet you guys at the Hightower at eight." 

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At 8:05 the three of us were dressed up and loading into the elevator. Scarlett pressed the button for floor twenty-six. The ride up was fairly quiet, nothing but sound of the elevator working. A ding went off and the doors opened.

"Here we are." Ed smiled, waving at the security. "Hey Rick." Scarlett looped her arm through mine and pulled me into the club. She glanced down at me.

"It'll be fun. Just don't mention a few things." She squeezed my arm. I spotted Josh sitting at a table, he eyes stopped wandering the room and instantly locked onto me. The way he looked at me made me think of how Reece would look at me. NO! I thought loudly. You are going to have a nice time. 

"Hey ladies, you all look lovely." He said with a smile. The three of us slid into the remaining seats. I pushed my hair back out of face, trying to keep my nerves at bay for at least tonight.

"So what brings you guys back to Los Aniegos?" He asked.

"I think I speak for both of us in saying that we'd had enough of small town life for the summer. Besides my boyfriend is coming to visit in a month or two and it's closer for him." Scarlett shrugged. Josh nodded and turned his attention to me.

"What about you?" Oh god. I, of course, hadn't thought about how I was going to explain this. So I decided to just wing it. Brilliant self, just brilliant.

"I'm from Bridgeport, and I'd been living with my boyfriend. We had a bit of a nasty breakup so I left. My aunt had known some people in their town so I figured I go there and find some lodging." I said. It sounded good enough, but I could almost hear Reece's anguished voice screaming in my head for me.

"I've been to Bridgeport a few times. Sorry about the boyfriend though, you deserve someone better." He smiled sympathetically. Scarlett smacked his arm.
"Ease up there bucko, she's eighteen." She teased. He rolled his eyes and I could feel myself blushing. Edalyn hailed down a waiter and ordered a round of drinks. Thankfully I spoke up quickly to deny one. She looked a little confused until I stared at her, gesturing down with my eyes. While the twins sipped their drinks Josh stood up and offered me his hand.
"Want to dance a bit?"
"Sure."

After an hour and a half of on and off dancing and laughing Josh pulled me aside to talk.

"Hey, if you're not too tired I know this great spot on the beach where you can see every star in the sky. It's pretty secret so care to join me?" He smiled. I glanced back at Edalyn and Scarlett. They were both immersed in a conversation, probably about Scarlett's boyfriend visiting. Turning back to Josh I gave him a small nod and he led me out of the Hightower and into a cab.

"Let us out here." He said to the driver, tossing him the money. He opened the door and I followed him down a sandy path. Thank god I chose not to wear heels like the others. Josh looked back at me for a moment before plopping down into the sand. I sat next to him.

The small waves crashed quietly into the shore, the smell of the sea filling the breeze. I looked up at the stars, and felt a sense of sadness. Made me think of the bright lights of Bridgeport. Or Reece's eyes at night. I must have sighed because Josh turned to look at me.

"You okay?"

"What? Oh yeah. Just thinking." I said.

I turned back to the sea. My breath nearly stopped in my throat as a warm hand covered mine.

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I didn't get back to the house until the early hours of the morning. Neither of them were up but they left a sticky note on the door of my room saying it was mine. I stripped off my dress and shoes, pulling on a pair of pajamas from my suitcase.