The Summer That Changed Everything

Chapter Three - Part Three

“Whoa,” Jared broke the silence at last, placing his hands in front of him on the table. “I did not expect that to happen. I’m sorry.”

Felicity visibly shook herself out of the foul mood, and she plastered a smile across her face, wanting to put this argument behind them as quickly as possible. They only had each other, so there was no point in falling out, especially this early on in the summer. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it weird with talks of weddings. This is why I need Layla; she would jump at a chance to talk about weddings.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” he smirked. “But thanks for saying I’m not good enough company. I appreciate that.”

She guffawed. “Don’t be silly. You know that’s not what I meant.”

And just like that, they were back to normal.

They lingered at the café, savouring the last bites of their cakes. Jared had to coax Felicity away from the tempting display of another cake. He couldn’t bear the thought of waiting for her to make another choice. But these shared moments, these little disagreements, were what made their friendship so special.

He urged her into his car, and he drove to her house. The sheer presence of the (in his eyes) mansion on the street astounded him. No matter how many times he saw it, it still took his breath away every time he laid his eyes upon it. He could only dream of living somewhere like that someday. But in no way did he resent Felicity for growing up surrounded by money. Not a single member of their family let it go to their head. He also knew how hard Felicity’s dad had worked to provide for his family and to build his business into what it is today. So he’d much rather applaud than dislike it.

It took the orange hues of the setting sun on the horizon for them to realise how long they’d been out gallivanting for.

“Thank you,” Felicity said, gathering her bag from her feet. “I had a lot of fun today, even if you tried to kill me with the rock climbing.” She shuddered at the memory.

He chuckled. “Sometimes it’s good to stray away from the comfort zone.”

“Indeed, it is,” she agreed, her smile reflecting the shared understanding between them. They might have their differences, but they were always on the same page when it came to the essential things.

“And I’m glad I was there to witness it,” he smiled. “And of course, it gives me perfect material to poke fun at you in the future.”

“You’re such a nob,” she teased, sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed, his hand playfully ruffling her hair. Their banter was a testament to their easy camaraderie.

“Well, maybe I shall see you soon, Mrs Last Resort,” he winked, pretending to doff his invisible cap.

“Maybe indeed, Mr Last Resort,” she giggled, donning a mock RP accent. “It was terrible. Accents were never Felicity’s forte, but that didn’t stop her from trying. “Though my parents and I will spend a bit of time together since I’m moving away soon. But I’m only a text away if you need some company.”

“As am I.”

Felicity had her hand on the door handle, ready to exit the car, and wondered whether she should reach over and hug Jared goodbye. But she was unsure how to get around the gear stick and all the other car paraphernalia, so perhaps she thought better of it. There was no need to ruin their good day with a car-related disaster. She also wasn’t sure how Jared would receive it. She had hugged him once already that day, and he seemed to easily return it. But she put that down to the adrenaline and euphoria of surviving the rock climbing. Instead, she bottled it and slipped out of the car and waved goodbye to Jared as he drove off down the street.

Felicity noticed the smell of a lovely cooked dinner as she walked into her house. She realised her parents must be at home, and therefore, it was the end of the working day. Just how long had she been out? The time just flew by today.

She followed her nose and popped her head into the dining room. There she saw her mum and dad tucking into what looked like salmon at the large table. Felicity bounced over to the table and took a seat, placing her bag on the seat next to her.

“Oh, sorry, hun, we didn’t know when you’d be home.” Her mother apologised. “We’ve got leftovers in the kitchen if you’d like a bite to eat.”

“No, I couldn’t possibly,” Felicity sighed, placing a hand on her bloated stomach. She remembered the delicious cake that had passed through her lips earlier. “I’m stuffed.”

“Where have you been, anyway? I half expected you to have glued yourself to the TV, still in your pyjamas, watching Netflix when we got back from work,” her father quipped.

Felicity laughed because it was not an incorrect assumption. If she had nothing else to do, that would most certainly be her plan.

“Oh, I just went out with a friend, and we got some food,” she explained. “It’s a friend from college. I don’t think you’ve met them before.”

Her parents seemed to accept that answer, and they continued eating in silence. Felicity wasn’t sure why she lied about who she was meeting up with. Her parents both knew Jared well, which made sense considering who her best friend was. They were witness to their childish games when they were youngsters. But telling her parents who she was with would mean admitting her renewed friendship with Jared. Therefore, there would be plenty of questions flying around. Questions that she didn’t want to answer. She also knew that Jared probably wasn’t shouting to the rooftops about the fact that they were spending time together. But why did everything seem so sordid?

She sighed, knowing she had got away with it, happy to keep it as their little secret. It added an extra buzz of excitement to the entire thing.

“Did you have a good day, then?” Her mother asked.

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Yeah, I did.”