{Wattys Shortlist 2022}
A one night stand is turned inside out when two strangers discover their shared past.
After a skydiving excursion that ends in a whirlwind one night stand, Camilla writes off ever seeing her handsome instructor again. That...
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Wow.
Just like that, Camilla was dancing with Fitzpatrick?
This reception was like being inside a damn dry cleaners. She had her pick of uniforms. Swap one out for another.
Why I should I be surprised? I'd seen it happen a million times. It was just sex, so who cared?
I took a sip of wine, swallowing hard. Something flamed in my throat, and I knew it wasn't just the burn of alcohol.
If what happened between Camilla and I was just sex, then why did seeing her smile at Fitzpatrick piss me off so bad? I wasn't jealous, not of him, but I didn't want his fucking hands drifting towards her ass.
Why couldn't it be that easy for me tonight? Why couldn't I be out there right now? Dancing with a girl and feeding her all the lines to get her dress off. Not that my trident pin needed much help—for girls who knew, it was basically pussy kryptonite.
West materialized beside me, wearing the same soggy look he'd worn last night. We stayed quiet for a moment, staring out into the sea of people.
"Is your girl here?" I heard myself ask. Trying to distract myself from the uncomfortable tightness in my throat.
West lifted his drink and pointed towards the edge of the dance floor. I picked out Fredericksen easy enough, then saw the girl he was dancing with. She was wearing an emerald green dress that looked damn near painted on. Big blue eyes and long brownish hair.
"Well, damn. I can see why you're so strung out. She's hot."
West glared at me.
"What? I'm not the one dancing with her. Don't get all pissy. I just said she's hot."
My little brother seemed to deflate. "You should see Stella dance—I mean, really dance. With me. She's amazing. Graceful and seductive. And her voice when she sings—South, I can't even describe it. It's like real magic. She's perfect."
"If she's so perfect, why did you let her end up with Fredericksen? Didn't he ask if you and Stella were a thing?"
"He did. It's just..." West took a sip from his drink, "this whole crazy thing happened with dad, and I didn't think I'd ever see her again. But then I did. And South, I get to see her every day." His eyes went misty, and I thought he might start crying right here. "You should see us together, singing and dancing. I'm so far gone for this girl, it's crazy."
I wondered how it would feel to be that in love. West made it seem like a pretty fucking painful experience.
"What does her boyfriend think about you two hanging out every day, singing and dancing? I bet Fredericksen doesn't like sharing."
West gave me a sheepish look, and I knew he was caught up in some elaborate lie. West never came clean about anything, maybe because he was the baby of the family and we all just let it slide.
