Read Online Until the Sun Burns Out by Amber Garza - Free Book Online
Authors: Amber Garza
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a response, but none came. The minutes ticked by slowly, my phone remaining eerily silent. Grace and I never fought. At least never to the point where we stopped talking to one another. Sometimes we got in an argument, but we always cleared things up quickly.
However, things had changed. Not just with Grace, but with my family.
And with me.
***
“You okay?” Austin asked as we walked into town, making our way toward the movie theatre.
“Yeah,” I lied. Grace still hadn’t responded to my text, and I was becoming increasingly worried.
“Really? Because you seem quiet.”
“Is that your way of saying I talk too much?”
“Your words, not mine,” he quipped, nudging me with his shoulder.
My lips curved slightly at the corners. We walked for a few more minutes in silence, and then I glanced over at him. “Is being here all summer hard on your friendships back home?”
“A little,” he answered. “But it doesn’t take long for things to get back to normal when I return.”
I nodded, certain that he was right. Things were weird between Grace and me right now, but that’s because we were miles apart. Once we were back together, things would return to normal. I was sure of it.
“Oh, look. There’s Penny.” Austin pointed to a woman walking on the other side of the street. She was around my mom’s age. Pretty. Dressed nicely. “I wonder if your dad’s around here as well.” The woman walked into the same movie theatre we were headed to. “Maybe they’re seeing a movie too.”
“Dad’s at the beach with Luca,” I said robotically, my entire body numbing. “But why would you think he was with that woman?”
Austin’s head whipped in my direction. “What?”
“Why would my dad be with that woman?” I asked again, this time enunciating every single syllable.
“Who said he was?”
I froze. Usually I liked Austin’s teasing. It made me feel special, like I was in on some inside joke. When my grandpa was alive he was constantly sarcastic. My dad once told me that one of the ways my grandpa showed people he loved them was by teasing them. He said that the more my grandpa teased me, the more I knew he loved me. And that’s how I felt with Austin. Like maybe all this teasing meant that I was special to him. But in this moment I needed him to be straight with me.
“ You did, and I want to know why.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I pinned him with a stare, willing him to come clean.
Conflict raged in his eyes as his gaze shifted back and forth. I’d never seen him like this. I’d only known him a few weeks, but in that time there’d never been a topic he couldn’t talk his way out of. He never got rattled. Not like he was right now. And it was all the answer I needed. I knew what was going on.
“He’s dating that woman, isn’t he?” I asked point blank.
Sighing, Austin nodded. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew or I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Why did you think I knew? Have I ever mentioned anything about it to you?” My voice rose, and a few people passing by glanced over curiously. A thought struck me. “How did you know?”
Austin shrugged, appearing thoroughly uncomfortable. Not that I blamed him. “We vacation here every summer. My parents have befriended lots of the locals. Penny is one of them. And she was at our house recently. I overheard her talking about how she’s been seeing Paul.”
My chest tightened, and I fought to draw in a breath. “Has she lived here long?”
Pressing his lips together, he nodded.
Swallowing hard, I let it all sink in. “She’s why he moved here, huh?” I spoke so softly I wasn’t even sure Austin could hear me. But that was okay. I wasn’t really talking to him. Mostly I was talking to myself. Processing. “He said he moved here for my brother and me because we liked the beach. But that wasn’t it. He moved here to be with that woman.” I paused. “Penny.” I rolled her name around in my mouth, trying it
However, things had changed. Not just with Grace, but with my family.
And with me.
***
“You okay?” Austin asked as we walked into town, making our way toward the movie theatre.
“Yeah,” I lied. Grace still hadn’t responded to my text, and I was becoming increasingly worried.
“Really? Because you seem quiet.”
“Is that your way of saying I talk too much?”
“Your words, not mine,” he quipped, nudging me with his shoulder.
My lips curved slightly at the corners. We walked for a few more minutes in silence, and then I glanced over at him. “Is being here all summer hard on your friendships back home?”
“A little,” he answered. “But it doesn’t take long for things to get back to normal when I return.”
I nodded, certain that he was right. Things were weird between Grace and me right now, but that’s because we were miles apart. Once we were back together, things would return to normal. I was sure of it.
“Oh, look. There’s Penny.” Austin pointed to a woman walking on the other side of the street. She was around my mom’s age. Pretty. Dressed nicely. “I wonder if your dad’s around here as well.” The woman walked into the same movie theatre we were headed to. “Maybe they’re seeing a movie too.”
“Dad’s at the beach with Luca,” I said robotically, my entire body numbing. “But why would you think he was with that woman?”
Austin’s head whipped in my direction. “What?”
“Why would my dad be with that woman?” I asked again, this time enunciating every single syllable.
“Who said he was?”
I froze. Usually I liked Austin’s teasing. It made me feel special, like I was in on some inside joke. When my grandpa was alive he was constantly sarcastic. My dad once told me that one of the ways my grandpa showed people he loved them was by teasing them. He said that the more my grandpa teased me, the more I knew he loved me. And that’s how I felt with Austin. Like maybe all this teasing meant that I was special to him. But in this moment I needed him to be straight with me.
“ You did, and I want to know why.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I pinned him with a stare, willing him to come clean.
Conflict raged in his eyes as his gaze shifted back and forth. I’d never seen him like this. I’d only known him a few weeks, but in that time there’d never been a topic he couldn’t talk his way out of. He never got rattled. Not like he was right now. And it was all the answer I needed. I knew what was going on.
“He’s dating that woman, isn’t he?” I asked point blank.
Sighing, Austin nodded. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew or I wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Why did you think I knew? Have I ever mentioned anything about it to you?” My voice rose, and a few people passing by glanced over curiously. A thought struck me. “How did you know?”
Austin shrugged, appearing thoroughly uncomfortable. Not that I blamed him. “We vacation here every summer. My parents have befriended lots of the locals. Penny is one of them. And she was at our house recently. I overheard her talking about how she’s been seeing Paul.”
My chest tightened, and I fought to draw in a breath. “Has she lived here long?”
Pressing his lips together, he nodded.
Swallowing hard, I let it all sink in. “She’s why he moved here, huh?” I spoke so softly I wasn’t even sure Austin could hear me. But that was okay. I wasn’t really talking to him. Mostly I was talking to myself. Processing. “He said he moved here for my brother and me because we liked the beach. But that wasn’t it. He moved here to be with that woman.” I paused. “Penny.” I rolled her name around in my mouth, trying it
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