Free Miles From Kara by Melissa West Page A

leaving for his study abroad tomorrow, and somehow it didn’t feel right for me to act on my feelings for Colt until Ethan was far, far away. Until there was an ocean between us, to be exact. It was stupid and silly, considering Ethan and I had broken up and it had been very mutual, but out of respect for him and the relationship we once had, I didn’t want to act just yet.
    Besides, I didn’t even know how to act.
    Before Ethan, I’d been with Preston, so the last time I flirted or had any sense of game was when I was . . . fifteen. Fifteen. God. I was going to wreck this in every way.
    I slipped under my covers and closed my eyes, just as my phone beeped with a new text. Olivia and Preston had gone to Preston’s house for the rest of the week to get some of his things, so I expected to see a text from her with a hello from Preston’s mom or something. Instead, it was from Colt.
    Would it freak you out if I said I was living at Charleston Haven?
    I jerked up in bed, staring at the text in bewilderment.
    How?
    Colt:
Taylor. His roommate is doing an internship this summer, so he offered me the spot when I told him I’d be interning in Charleston.
    You’re friends with Taylor?
    A smiley face, then,
Is that so surprising? He’s a good bloke
.
    There was a long pause as I tried to process this new piece of information. Colt was in Charleston Haven. Right now. One building over. It was too much.
    Colt:
You didn’t answer. Are you freaking out? It just sort of worked out.
    I typed out,
No
, then
Of course not
, then deleted all that and settled on the truth.
    The opposite actually.
    Another long pause came and I worried that I’d said too much.
    Colt:
All right, then. Good night, sweet Kara.
    I smiled a little. No one had ever called me sweet. Bubbly? Yes. Outgoing? Sure. But sweet? I read the word again, enjoying the way it looked beside my name.
    See you around,
I typed back.
    I hope so.
    I read the words over and over and my heart felt warm. Then, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
    ***
    â€œWhat’s showing again?” Olivia asked from where she sat beside me on our blanket. Preston was on the other side of her, and Sarah and Alyssa were supposed to meet us down here. We’d packed a small cooler with beer and water and snacks for the outdoor movie.
    â€œ
The Jerk
.”
    I swung my head around to say hi to Taylor, but stopped at the sight of the guy walking up behind him.
    I swallowed hard as my gaze lifted up to meet Colt’s. “Hi.”
    â€œKara,” he said, and though he didn’t say the word
sweet
before it, I felt its presence there all the same. Warmth spread through me.
    â€œCare if we join ya’ll?” Taylor asked.
    â€œNo, of course not,” I said, pulling my legs up to make room for them to sit on our blanket. Taylor stood in front of us, searching around before sitting down on the other side of Preston. I expected Colt to sit with the guys, but instead he lowered himself down beside me and leaned back against his outstretched arms.
    â€œSo, do you work over by Applegate and Long, then?”
    I drew a slow breath, careful to make sure he couldn’t see me do it, and then turned toward him. It was like being smacked in the face, like my mind couldn’t focus. My eyes couldn’t quite control themselves as they drank in every detail of his face. I found myself flushing and looking away even before I spoke, which made the whole thing even more uncomfortable. Fantastic, Kara, now you can’t even answer a simple question.
    I cleared my throat. “Yeah. I’m a psychology major, so I accepted a summer internship at Helping Hands, the center around the corner from your firm.”
    â€œAround the corner, you say?”
    He was still looking at me, as though he knew just how uneasy he made me and wanted to push me as far as I would go. I stretched my