Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 16

He opened the front passenger door for me like a gentleman, and I stared at it for a second too long, as if stepping into that van meant stepping into something else entirely. Something bigger than either of us.

“Milady,” James said with an exaggerated bow, lips twitching.

I climbed in slowly, heart still thudding like a drum in my chest.

As I settled into the front passenger seat, the cool air from the van’s AC brushing my skin, I heard Inez groan dramatically from behind us.

“Ugh! I can’t even with the two of you,” she said, her voice half-whining, half-laughing.

I turned slightly to look at her. She was lounging sideways in her seat, her legs crossed, wearing a marigold crop top and white denim shorts that honestly looked like they came with a warning label. Her long black hair was pulled into her signature tight side braids, and her gold hoops shimmered every time she moved.

“Just admit you have feelings for each other already and get it over with,” she added, rolling her eyes so hard I swear I heard it.

I laughed, not just because she was being ridiculous, but because it was the kind of ridiculous only Inez could get away with. She laughed too, tossing her head back. Her laughter always came out like a chime, clear, unfiltered, a sound that could pull anyone into her orbit.

But then I caught Matt’s reflection in the rearview mirror. His eyes flicked up, then back down again. Something about his face, his mouth slightly tightened, his eyes cast downward, made my stomach twist. He looked… not sad, exactly. No, something else. Jealous? Maybe. I wasn’t sure. But it was enough to make me glance away.

“Honestly, B,” Inez said suddenly, sliding deeper into her seat, “you’re lucky you’ve got a man who acts like a man.”

She flopped against Tim’s shoulder with an exaggerated sigh. Tim didn’t move. He sat there like stone, staring at the back of the seat in front of him. His pale green linen shirt wrinkled perfectly, like something out of a Pinterest board, and his olive-tinted sunglasses masked most of his expression, except the part I couldn’t miss.

He was looking at me. Not just looking, pleading.

“You okay, Tim?” I asked, quietly.

He hesitated. “I guess, B.”

That was all he said. Just that. But something in his tone told me he wasn’t okay at all.

From the back, Corey’s voice cut through the silence like a slap of sunlight. “Inez, are you really gonna blind everyone at the beach with those shorts? You could start a fire if you walk too fast.”

Drake jumped in, laughing. “Yeah, I already burned my eyes once this morning. It’s a miracle I’m alive.”

Corey wore his usual crisp white tee and black shorts, phone still in hand as if it were glued there. Drake leaned back comfortably in a purple basketball jersey and navy blue shorts, grinning at Inez like he lived for these moments.

Inez, of course, wasn’t about to let either of them win. “Oh please, if I’m a fire hazard, it’s only because y’all are walking piles of gasoline.”

Their banter turned into a full-on roast session, laughter erupting from the back row. It filled the van like music, loud, chaotic, and familiar.

James glanced over at me, sunglasses still on. “Ready?”

I nodded.

“Let’s go!” he called out.

“YEEEEAAAHHHH,” Inez shrieked, both arms in the air like we were already at the beach. “BEACH, HERE WE GOOOO!”