he Resolution of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence, #6)(2)

Harper gives an intrigued glance at Seth and me as she steps into the room and closes the door behind her. ‘What are you guys doing?’

Seth begins to bounce exaggeratedly on the bed. ‘Exercising,’ he jokes, breathless.

‘Great idea. I’ll have to try it sometime. Although, I’m a two-person kind of jumping-on-the-bed girl myself.’ Harper winks, but something about it looks wrong, like she’s just playing a part in the moment, being how she thinks she needs to be. She’s that way a lot. Then she walks over to the desk near the window to set her books down.

Seth giggles at her remark, while I feel a blush rush to my cheeks. Even now, after having sex, I still get embarrassed over sexual innuendos. I used to think it was because I was raped when I was twelve by my brother’s then best friend, and it had left that kind of a mark on me, but now I’m coming to realize that it might just be my personality.

‘So, what are you two up to for the day?’ Harper asks as she pulls her long blonde hair up in a messy bun before picking up her iPod from off her bed.

Seth shrugs as he hops off the bed and lands on the floor with a thud. ‘Not anything right now. Why? You looking for a party buddy again?’

She wavers, slightly distracted as she shuffles through the list of songs on her iPod. ‘I was thinking about going to this frat party tonight, but I’m still on the fence.’

Seth makes a gagging face as he mock clutches his neck. ‘Frat boys. Yuck.’

‘For sure,’ she agrees, reaching for her headphones on her pillow. ‘But I need to get out of this tiny box-of-a-room for a night or I’m going to go crazy.’

‘Well, sorry, but you’re going to have to ride solo on this one,’ Seth tells her. The two of them occasionally see each other at parties and hang out, but that’s about as far as their friendship extends.

‘Bummer.’ She smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. ‘What about you, Callie? You down for a party?’

‘I’m with Seth on this one,’ I reply, feeling kind of guilty when she frowns. ‘I’m not into frat parties.’

She shrugs it off, seeming a little depressed. But once she notices me noticing her plummeting cheeriness, she forces a bright smile then puts her earbuds in. I’m not sure why, but Harper seems lonely all the time, even though she’s always surrounded by people. She keeps smiling as she moves for her bed, but I’ve given enough fake smiles in my life to recognize one when I see it.

As she flops down and gets situated to do her homework, Seth waves at her then takes me by the elbow and pulls me toward the door. ‘Let’s go get some coffee,’ he says, grabbing my hoodie from the bedpost and shoving it at me, ‘and I’ll tell you about the present I got Greyson.’

Slipping on my jacket, I follow Seth out the door and head down the hallway to the elevators.

‘So it’s a collection of things we’ve done together,’ he says as I push the bottom floor. ‘Like movies we’ve watched, music we’ve listened to and food we both agree are awesome.’

‘That might be the coolest present ever,’ I tell him as we reach the bottom floor and step out into the lounge area.

‘I know, right?’ he says as we stroll toward the door. It’s a breezy yet beautiful day to be walking beneath the crystal blue sky. Frost clings to the branches of the leafless trees that surround the building and the frozen grass makes the entire scene look like a winter wonderland.

‘So what’s new with you?’ Seth asks as we steer in the direction of the nearest coffee house, which is kitty corner to the University of Wyoming – the college we both attend. ‘It feels like ages since I’ve talked to you.’

I laugh because it’s only been like a day. ‘Not much.’

‘How’s the new job coming?’

I sigh. I got an internship writing for an online newspaper at the beginning of the semester. I love writing and everything but … ‘It’s kind of not what I was expecting,’ I tell him as we step off the grass and onto the slippery sidewalk.

‘What do you mean?’ he asks as we link arms before one of us wipes out.

I give a half shrug. ‘I just wish I could write … I don’t know, whatever I want, instead of certain things. It feels like such a job.’ I sigh. ‘That makes me sound selfish, doesn’t it? And ungrateful.’

Seth chuckles as he maneuvers us around a large ice patch in the center of the sidewalk. ‘No, it makes you sound normal. You don’t have to like a job just because it’s your job.’

I tuck my free hand into the pocket of my jacket as the wind bites at my skin. ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’

‘No, not guess I’m right; I am right.’ He shoots me a conceited grin. ‘I’m always right when it comes to advice.’ He gets a thoughtful look on his face. ‘Which speaking of advice, why haven’t you talked to Kayden about moving in together? I thought we talked about that a couple of weeks ago and you were going to finally’ – he makes an air quote with his free hand – ‘“Go for it.”’

I cringe internally at the painful reminder. ‘I already told you I decided not to.’

‘I know, but I was hoping you changed your mind. I think you’re wrong about Kayden not being ready for that big of a step. And even if he isn’t ready, I still think you should know where he stands,’ he tells me as we halt at the corner of the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street. ‘You guys have been together way longer than Greyson and me, or Luke and Violet.’