He Says He's Just A Friend

Chapter 62 - This Love

- Emmett -

I paced the brick path at the entrance to the botanical garden, checking my phone every thirty seconds, as if I wouldn't feel the vibration of a notification alert. My lock screen remains blank.

"You are being way superfluous, Emmie," Carrie said, sounding quite bored. Draped across a bench, wearing a sleeveless army green romper, her bronze legs crossed with one of her sandals dangling from her toes. Her leg idly bounced, making the sole of the shoe flop against her foot as she stared at her phone.

I paused to look at her, confused. "What does that even mean?"

She grinned, not bothering to look up from her screen. "Extra. Over the top. Too much."

I rolled my eyes. I didn't have the brain capacity right now to explain how that was not the proper usage of that term. Just because a word was synonymous with another, didn't mean they meant exactly the same thing and could be used interchangeably. I would be glad when she finally took the damn ACTs again and stopped this inane use of superfluous synonyms.

Resuming my stride, I checked my phone again. Nothing.

The scuffle of footsteps made my ears perk up. I expected to be disappointed again, like the last two times I'd heard someone approaching. Still, I couldn't stop myself from looking up. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

Clay returned the gesture. He'd dressed for the heat in a fitted navy and white striped tank, salmon-colored chino shorts that hit just above his knees, and a backwards white baseball cap, with a bit of his silver hair poked out through the gap in the front.

Despite it being October, it was over eighty degrees. The smothering humidity made it feel even hotter. But that was Alabama weather. Tomorrow, we might wake up and need a sweater. We got roughly nine months of summer, one month of fall, and two months of winter—not always in that order. October was kind of a catchall month, each day a different season without warning. Fall didn't fully arrive for real until around Halloween.

Clay jogged the last few feet to close the distance between us. He laid a hand on my waist and kissed me sweetly, right on the lips. Again, surprising me with his willingness to show affection so publicly. "Sorry we're late."

"I hadn't even noticed."

Carrie snorted in amusement.

I ignored her outburst and looked past Clay. Summer gave a small wave. She wore a denim skirt and a baby blue crop top. The color looked great against her dark skin. She was even more beautiful in person than the photos I'd seen of her. Though her hair was different, much shorter and perfectly straight.

She was the reason for my nerves today. When I called Clay, inviting him to join us, he asked to bring Summer along, since they were already hanging out. I didn't really know how to feel about her as my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, even if Clay never felt the same way about her as he did for me. He spoke so highly of her; he clearly adored her. He'd also spent a lot of time with her in the two weeks between the end of his punishment and the end of mine.

Clay stepped back to stand beside Summer, officially introducing her to me.

"It's so nice to meet you," Summer said, looking me over. This was the first time we'd been face to face. I suspected she was sizing me up every bit as much as I was her. "I feel like I know you with everything Clay's told me."

"Same," I said.

She took hold of Clay's hand, and it kind of annoyed me how they looked like the perfect couple together.

I wondered what she thought about me. Did she hold any resentment for losing her boyfriend to me? Clay said she was very supportive when he came out. I was a little jealous that she was the first person he told. Secretly, I wished it could've been me. But I suppose I understood why it wasn't. Especially since—as Clay often liked to remind me—I kept telling him he wasn't my type, because I stupidly thought that would keep him from feeling uneasy around me. I still cursed myself for ever thinking that was a good idea.