Chapter 21
Jayden raised an eyebrow and leaned against the front desk, a wicked grin spreading across his face. that practically begged me to sleep with her last night?” “Besides… who was
The desk clerk behind the counter ducked her head, clearly trying not to laugh at their exchange.
Jayden watched with pure satisfaction as Arianna’s face went from porcelain white to tomato red in about two seconds flat.
“Oh my God, Jayden!” she hissed under her breath, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the reception area. “I can’t believe you just said that! Your shamelessness hasn’t changed one bit since we were kids!”
But Jayden could hear the laughter beneath her indignation, and it made something warm and familiar bloom in his chest. He followed her down the hallway, pulling both their suitcases without complaint, his heart feeling lighter than it had in years.
This–her flustered embarrassment, the way she was trying so hard to be scandalized while fighting back a smile–this was exactly like the old days.
He remembered middle school, when they’d sit next to each other in every class and he’d spend most of his time finding creative ways to get under her skin.
Arianna had always been the golden student–perfect grades, perfect attendance, teachers absolutely adored her. Jayden had been… well, the opposite. When he felt like applying himself, he could pull decent grades. When he didn’t give a shit, which was most of the time, he’d coast by on charm and last–minute cramming.
There was this one civics class where he’d completely blown off a major assignment. Their teacher, Mr. Patterson–this ancient, bitter man who took his job way too seriously–had called him out in front of the
entire class.
“Mr. Hiddleston, where’s your Constitution essay?”
Without missing a beat, Jayden had snatched Arianna’s perfectly typed paper off her desk and waved it in the air. “Right here, sir.”
Mr. Patterson had grabbed the paper and pointed at the name written in Arianna’s neat handwriting. “Oh really? So your name is Arianna Carter now?”
“Might as well be,” Jayden had said with a completely straight face, looking down at his mortified desk partner. “We’re basically the same person anyway.”
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Chapter 21
Poor Arianna had immediately thrown him under the bus to save herself. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Patterson. I don’t know this person. Never seen him before in my life.”
Of course, she’d made him pay for it later–chased him around the school parking lot during lunch, threatening to tell his parents about his latest academic disaster.
But even then, even when she was furious with him, there had been laughter in her eyes. Like part of her enjoyed his chaos as much as she pretended to hate it.
God, how had they gone from that to the mess of their senior year? How had he let everything fall apart so completely?
The familiar ache of regret settled in his chest as he watched her walk ahead of him down the B&B’s charming hallway, but he pushed it down. They were here now. They were together. That had to be enough.
After dropping off their luggage and taking a few minutes to freshen up, they ventured out to explore Seagrove. The little town was exactly what Jayden had hoped for–quiet streets lined with pottery studios, the kind of place where time moved slower and people actually talked to each other.
They found a cozy shop just a few blocks away, its windows filled with beautiful handmade ceramics that caught the afternoon light. An elderly man with kind eyes and clay–stained fingers greeted them with a warm smile.
“Feel free to browse,” he said. “Everything you see is made right here in town. And if you’re interested in trying your hand at the wheel, I’ve got a studio space in the back.”
Arianna’s entire face lit up like he’d just offered her the keys to Disney World. “Really? We could actually make something ourselves?”
Watching her excitement, Jayden felt that familiar swell of emotion–pride, affection, and something deeper that he was still too scared to name. He’d chosen this place perfectly. She was absolutely glowing.
“Lead the way,” he said, and let her pull him toward the back of the shop.
The studio was exactly what he’d imagined–pottery wheels, shelves lined with works in progress, the earthy smell of clay and creativity hanging in the air. It felt like stepping into another world.
“So what do you want to make?” Jayden asked, though he already knew she’d have about fifty ideas bouncing around in her head.
Arianna scanned the example pieces displayed on the walls, her eyes stopping on a pair of matching mugs–one decorated with a little orange cat, the other with a goofy–looking dog.
“Couple’s mugs,” she announced with determination. “We don’t have any real couple stuff yet, and I want something we can use every day.”
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Chapter 21
Jayden reached up to retrieve the sample mugs from their shelf, setting them on the worktable between their wheels. Arianna immediately claimed the cat mug, already pulling out her phone to scroll through
her camera roll.
“I’m making mine look like Orange,” she said, showing him a particularly adorable photo of their kitten mid–yawn. “I can’t just abandon our baby while we’re gallivanting around North Carolina.”
Jayden felt his expression soften as he watched her fuss over getting the reference photo just right, her bottom lip caught between her teeth in concentration.
“You know what you look like right now?” he said, his voice warm with affection.
She glanced up at him, clay dust already somehow smudged on her cheek. “What?”
“Like a mom who left her kid with a babysitter for the first time,” he said, his tone gentle and teasing. “You’re gonna be worrying about him the entire trip, aren’t you?”
