Where the Road Bends

Chapter 1

Socks. Where were the blasted socks? William Hayes, usually a man of unflappable calm, was currently embroiled in a frantic one-sided argument with his sock drawer.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered, shoving aside a rogue paisley tie in his search. "Four pairs of novelty argyle, a questionable pair of stripy knee-highs Aunt Mildred sent last Christmas, and...aha!"

He triumphantly retrieved a mismatched pair, a blue and green combo that wouldn't win any fashion awards but would have to do. He was on his way to Cornwall - more specifically, Daniel Clarkes cottage...well, technically it was Mr. Clarke's cottage, but details, details.

Danny was practically family. Summers were a hazy montage of building sandcastle empires that rivaled the Ritz and dodging rogue waves that always seemed to target William with laser focus.

Winters found them huddled around a crackling fire, mugs of hot chocolate warming their hands while they planned elaborate snowball wars. They even had the dubious honor of sharing a particularly traumatic potty-training experience that bonded them for life (or at least provided endless teasing material).

The connection between their families ran deep too. William's father, Theodore Hayes, a man with a dry wit and a perpetual cigar dangling from his lips, had met James Clarke, a formidable figure with a booming voice and an even more booming cigar habit, at Kings College many moons ago.

Their shared love of cigars and a healthy dose of competitiveness had blossomed into an unlikely friendship that eventually morphed into a highly successful law firm. Imagine the utter delight, then, when both William and Danny announced they'd be attending the same university – delight quickly followed by a healthy dose of paternal disapproval when they revealed neither of them had any intention of pursuing a career in law.

William, for one, loathed the idea. "Lie for a living?" he'd mutter disdainfully whenever the topic arose. Numbers, on the other hand, were his comfort zone – logical, predictable, never a fib in sight.

Danny, however, would have made a stellar lawyer. The man thrived on debate, his eyes gleaming with a manic glee whenever he emerged victorious from a verbal joust. The only thing that brought him more joy (much to Mr. Clarke's chagrin) was the sheer audacity of not following in his father's footsteps. So, here they were, chartered accountant and business whiz.

William had a lifetime of memories with the lanky dark head. They shared everything. Well, almost everything.

Such as, his undying affection for Danny's girlfriend, Julia. See, William had met Julia first. Fateful encounter on the steps of Kings College, her first day, utterly lost. He, ever the gallant knight (or so he liked to think), had offered himself as a guide. Hilarious, considering he was also a clueless freshman with zero sense of direction.

A young Julia Jones, amidst the throng of new faces at Kings College, felt more like a lone kazoo in an orchestra. 'Half of them will probably be sobbing into their instant ramen by Christmas,' she thought wryly, eyeing the sea of unfamiliar bodies. Her internal compass, usually as reliable as a chocolate teapot, had inexplicably self-destructed, leaving her utterly and delightfully lost.

William, perched on the steps overlooking the freshman chaos, couldn't help but be drawn to a particularly bewildered figure. This wasn't your average lost soul, clutching a map upside down and muttering to themself. No, this young woman exuded an air of posh bewilderment, like a duchess stranded at a petrol station. Gorgeous, too, in an unconventional way. Not the glossy cover-girl kind of gorgeous, but a captivating mix of sharp wit and messy brown curls escaping a hastily tied ponytail. She wasn't doing much – just fiddling with a frayed piece of paper and looking utterly perplexed – yet William found himself utterly transfixed.

"Lost, are we?" he finally blurted, the question escaping before he could rein it in.

Julia whipped around, her emerald eyes narrowing playfully. "Terribly," she declared, her voice a delightful blend of posh and exasperation. "Though, to be perfectly honest, I'm having a jolly good time."

"Oh, really?" William raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "How's that, then?"

A sly smile spread across Julia's face. "Handsome young chaps seem to be lining up to offer their valiant services as guides." Her voice dripped with mock seriousness.

By the end of their hilariously fumbled attempt to navigate the campus together (it turned out William wasn't much better with directions), he was a goner. Smitten, head over heels for the witty, refreshingly unpretentious girl with a knack for turning getting lost into an adventure.

He might not have been the valiant knight he initially presented himself as, but for Julia, he was the charmingly clueless escort who'd brightened up her first day at Kings College.

Will and Danny were the kind of friends who finished each other's sentences and could share a bag of crisps without a single argument. So, it wasn't a surprise when Danny, ever the social butterfly, fluttered towards a new girl at a freshman party, a beautiful brunette with a laugh like wind chimes and a wit as sharp as a London cabbie's retort. That girl, of course, was Julia.

William, usually the life of the party himself, found himself strangely tongue-tied around her. He'd been harboring a secret crush on Julia ever since their fumbled first meeting on campus.

He'd meant to ask her out, but he could never get the words to come. By the time they did and he'd mustered the courage, Danny, with his usual decisiveness, had already swept her off her feet.

Despite the missed opportunity, William kept his feelings for Julia under wraps. He cherished their friendship, and seeing her happy with Danny was, for the most part, enough. Or so he kept telling himself.

Sure, it stung a bit to see them together, their laughter echoing like a melody he longed to be a part of. But Danny was his mate, his brother-in-arms since childhood, and their bond was as solid as Big Ben.

Three years later, that secret crush had morphed into a full-blown five-alarm fire. The fancy, as he'd so dismissively labeled it, had blossomed into a full-fledged affection for Julia.

Maybe it was the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed, or the sharp wit that kept him on his toes. Perhaps it was the comfortable camaraderie they shared, a by-product of their years of friendship. Whatever the reason, his feelings for Julia had only intensified with time, simmering just beneath the surface of their platonic bond.

William zipped his weekend bag shut with a sigh, the familiar groan of the zipper a metaphor for the current state of his love life. He tossed the bag into the boot of his car, a wry smile playing on his lips. Cornwall awaited, a promise of windswept cliffs, crashing waves, and the undeniable reality of being the perpetual third wheel.

Yes, Danny and Julia, the picture-perfect couple, were the reason for this trip. They'd invited him along, a yearly tradition that William had somehow (or perhaps not so somehow) become a part of. He wasn't complaining, exactly. Danny was practically family, and Julia, well, Julia was...complicated. Gorgeous, witty, and completely oblivious to the silent symphony of longing playing in his chest whenever she was around.

The drive from London to Cornwall stretched before him. He pictured Danny and Julia, hand-in-hand on the beach, their laughter carried away by the salty wind. A pang of something akin to jealousy – or perhaps just a healthy dose of self-pity – lanced through him. He was the accountant, the sensible one, the friend who always tagged along. While Danny, the charming rogue with a silver tongue, had snagged the girl.

But William wasn't one to wallow. He cranked up the radio, a selection of upbeat classics filling the car, as he made his way to Cornwall.