The Key to Anchor Lake ✓

42 : Blaire

I love how open she is, how free she is with her emotions, how she doesn't carry a hint of embarrassment about being eager. Her freedom is what I need, and I feel it in the air when I'm with her. Even if she does think there's a chance Elizabeth and I will be struck down by a curse this year.

I follow her to the garden where Olga, Cat and Niko are sitting, taking her hand when she reaches back for mine, and their eyes drop to our entwined fingers the moment they look up. They share a look. Cat beams. Niko chuckles.

"So, this is a thing now, huh?" he says, nodding at us. Sukie squeezes my hand tighter.

"Seems that way," she says, planting her lips on my cheek. I will never grow tired of that sensation; I will never not blush at her touch. We take a seat at the table, surrounded by six chairs. One of them is still empty – Jacob isn't here.

I hope he stays away. We have the perfect group here, people I like, people I want to share with. He's a stain.

"I'm such a fifth wheel," Olga says, groaning.

"You don't wanna hook up with Jacob?" Niko asks, a teasing glint in his eye.

"Ew. Take that back, Nikolai. That's disgusting. He's seventeen."

"Only two years younger than you."

She scrunches up her face, utter disgust etched into her features. "I would rather be celibate for life than touch that kid with a barge pole."

Niko creases up with laughter and throws an arm around Cat, rubbing their happy coupledom in our faces. Sukie puts her hand over mine and I turn my hand over, so our palms touch.

"How's it only been a few weeks?" I ask. "I feel like I've known you guys a lot longer."

"Small town vibes," Cat says. "Everything's a bit more intense when there are so few people to go around. I think a month in Anchor Lake is worth a year elsewhere." She stretches a lets out a yawn, tilting her head to the sun. It comes out from behind a cloud just in time to cast a glow over her ebony brown skin, a halo of light shining through her luscious curls.

"Feels like summer," Olga murmurs, eyes closed.

"Got any summer plans?" Sukie asks, pouring herself a glass of her mum's homemade lemonade. Is there anything Sara can't do?

"Work. Eat. Sleep. Repeat," Olga says.

"We're going to Portugal in July," Cat says. "Two whole weeks in the sun, ugh, it can't come soon enough. This body needs a bikini."

Niko growls his appreciation. She rolls her eyes at him, nudging his side with her elbow; he catches it to pull her closer. How did I not notice they're a couple before? Was I really that clueless? Or just ignorant, and far too focused on Sukie and the book to notice anything else around me?

"I want to go back to New York," I say. "Maybe not in the summer, but I'm determined to get Elizabeth over there."

"Good luck," Olga says. "I get the impression she's not much of a traveller."

"Not at all. I think the first huge challenge will be getting her to somewhere that takes passport photos."

"Eh, all you need is a white wall, good lightning, and a decent camera," Niko says. "I could probably do it."

"Careful, or I'll hold you to that."

He shoots finger guns at me. "You got it, B."

A nickname for a single-syllable name, a name that isn't even really mine. It makes me smile.