February passed by in a blur of fleeting kisses and spontaneous hangouts. I didn't quite know what Antonio and I were–just that we really liked being around each other. We kept our affection private from others, although I was positive our friends knew something was up. They could tell we liked each other, even if we didn't say it.

Alongside my friends, I spent the evening lazing around at Papa's Diner. From my seat next to the window, I caught sight of the budding trees. As the season changed, the weather was warming and the flowers were blooming. There was certainly a newfound optimism in the air. It was this, that caused Romano to spring up with a suggestion.

"Any plans for the March break?" he curiously asked us.

"Nope," I chirped.

"No," Antonio quipped, lazily slouched.

"Not that I know of," Lily slurped on her milkshake.

"Me neither," Tabitha replied, offhandedly inspecting her manicured nails.

"I'm getting another car," Benny spoke in a rather casual tone. The girls and I exchanged looks of shock, although Antonio and Romano didn't bat an eye. Sometimes, I wondered if the boys were even aware of their own wealth.

"Rich boy," Tabitha whispered in amusement, although we all heard her.

Benny coyly grinned. "Your rich boy."

They leaned in for a kiss.

"Yuck," I wrinkled my freckled nose in disdain.

"PDA much," Antonio rolled his dark eyes.

We shared secretive grins, knowing we'd done much worse in private.

Meanwhile, Romano straightened up almost eagerly. "Moving on... It seems like no one's busy over the break. Why don't we all head up to the cottage?"

He had now gained our full attention.

"Cottage?" I curiously repeated.

"Yeah, right by the beach. You'd love it. It's small and cozy and private and–"

"You had me at beach," Tabitha cut him off.

I giggled in agreement. "How long would we stay for?"

"The guys and I go every spring break–we usually stay for three days or so," he answered. Then, a smirk fell onto his face. "On day three, we–ouch!"

Antonio had kicked Romano under the table. I suspiciously glanced between the mischievous pair of cousins.

"On day three, you what?" Lily curiously asked. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who'd noticed their odd behavior.

"We play board games," Romano squeaked, an overly innocent smile on his face.

Unconvinced, I crossed my arms. "What am I missing?"

Benny didn't hesitate to fill me in. "On the last day, they like to get black out drunk and go skinny dipping."

"Benny," they groaned in annoyance.

He merely chuckled and continued. "More often than not, Antonio tries to get laid. Of course, no one with eyes would wanna get with–"

"Alright, that's enough," Antonio cleared his throat.

I nonchalantly bit my lip. No one was able to see the tornado of thoughts evolving in my head. Antonio was undoubtedly charming, although I'd never actually seen him flirt with other girls–not since I'd met him, at least. Was he going to flirt with other girls at the cottage? Did I have a right to feel annoyed if he did? After all, we'd never put a label on our relationship, meaning we weren't exclusive. Was I simply his fling? I certainly hoped not, because he meant so much more to me than that. A queasy feeling formed in my stomach.

I was shaken out of my thoughts when Romano boisterously laughed at Antonio's condemnation.

"Why are you laughing? You do the exact same thing," Benny droned. That quickly wiped the smile off Romano's face.

Everyone chuckled at his misfortune, all except... Lily. I certainly didn't miss the way her blue eyes averted to the ground.

Romano pretended to flip his his curly hair. "Not my fault I'm irresistible."

"You mean ugly," Antonio mocked.

"No, I think I meant what I said."

Romano was not exactly wrong. He and Antonio were blessed with annoyingly good genes. I knew so because almost every girl in Burnsley–some guys, too–has had a crush on either of them at one point in their life. Me included.

"Moving on," I began before a fight ensued between the two cousins. "Spending the break at your cottage sounds perfect. I'll ask my Jo tonight, although I'm positive she'll say yes."

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Ro." Romano and I tingled our fingers with matching grins. "What about the rest of you?"

Everyone threw him responses, varying from an excited count me in to if I have to, followed by a lazy sigh. Of course, the latter response came from Benny.

We chattered about the upcoming trip well into the night, until the diner was closing and we were forced to venture our separate ways. Lily and I left together, as we lived rather close to each other.

"So," a coy grin slipped onto my face once the two of us were finally alone, "since when did you like Romano?"

Lily choked on air, halting to a stop in the middle of the street. I exasperatedly tugged on her arm, urging her to continue walking. She looked conflicted, as if debating whether to deny it or face the truth.

At last, she flailed her arms. "How did you know? Even I didn't know!"

"Best friend tuition," I playfully nudged her shoulder.

"Are you mad?"

"Mad? I'm happy! My best friend likes my other best friend," I smiled.

Lily tentatively chuckled, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Well, it's stupid. He doesn't even like me back."

"Hey, you don't know that. Leave it to me." A plan was already concocting in my head.

"Do I even wanna know?" Lily warily stared at me.

"Probably not."

The conversation aimlessly drifted over to another topic. Our voices echoed down the empty street, until we eventually split up.

"Alright, I'm gonna try convincing my mom to let me go to the cottage with you guys," Lily grimaced. "I'll tell her it's a study retreat."

We both giggled, knowing how strict her mother was.

"Good luck," I waved.

We bid our goodbyes and went our opposite ways. I shoved my hands into my pocket as I walked alone down the street. Cottage, I pondered. Sounds fun.

At least, I sure thought so.

• • •

"Is that everything?" Jo nervously asked, glancing around.

"Yes, Jo," I sighed. My eyes softened when I saw how worried she looked. "It's just three days. I'll be back before you know it."

"I know, but we're never apart," she slightly whined.

"I'll call you every day, now can I go?"

"If you must," she playfully frowned. "Just... don't do anything I would do."

"Wasn't planning on it." I poked her cheek and hurried out the front door.

Strands of my brown curls swished behind me, only held back by the hair clip I was wearing. I reached Antonio, who was patiently leaning against the car door. He appreciatively glanced at my denim shorts which framed my figure, and I bit the inside of my cheeks to hold back a smile.

"Have fun, love you," Jo hollered from the door.

"Love you too," I shouted back. She smiled, and I watched Antonio politely greet her from the corner of my eye. The two exchanged a brief conversation before finally, Jo waved at us and closed the front door.

"Jeez, how much did you pack?" Antonio asked as he grabbed my suitcase and stuffed it in the trunk. "It's a three-day trip."

"Not all of us wear the same clothes every day," I quipped.

He chuckled at my sassy response before closing the trunk. Ever the gentleman, he opened the backseat car door and waited for me to enter, shutting it behind me. Then, he made his way to the driver's seat.

"You guys ready?" Romano asked from the passenger seat.

"Yup," I nodded, "where's everyone else?"

"They're going in Benny's car," he replied, boredly gazing through the rolled down window.

"Sucks for Lily–she's gonna have to third wheel," I chuckled.

"Yeah, so will I," Romano replied sourly, rolling up his window.

Antonio and I momentarily paused, and our eyes met through the rearview mirror. A blush swarmed my cheeks before I swiftly glanced away. Briefly smirking, Antonio flickered on the radio and rolled down the windows as he started ignition. I contently sighed at the feeling of the wind brushing my skin. A part of me wondered how this three-day trip was going to play out, especially with no adult supervision...

• • •