CHAPTER ONE

September 14th, 2023 - Black Ink Press Submission (draft 4)

I didn't think I'd end up here.

When you've spent your whole life running, you start to believe that you're always going to be suspended in motion - even when you find a place to rest. Sometimes, it feels like it doesn't matter how far you go from the starting line, whatever - whoever - you're running from always feels close behind.

Here, hidden in plain sight, among a sea of strangers, it's easy to feel safe. Right now, the season is on the cusp of change. Leaves are transitioning. Air conditioners are being swapped out of windows. Tourists are packing their families into local cafes, antique shops, and book stores.

We're all looking for something. The question is: do we ever really find it?

✸

A high pitched shriek carried across the coffee shop, stopping everyone in their tracks. I dropped my pen and looked up to find the noise. Dozens of tourists were crowding into the quaint coffee shop, ordering hot apple ciders and pumpkin lattes. At the far end of the espresso bar, a young girl squealed behind her hands. Three dark-haired boys looked around frantically before one of them placed his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to quiet her excitement.

"Oh my god!," she choked out, on the verge of tears.

The boy whose hand was still resting on her shoulder, smiled wearily. "Hey, hey," he said gently. "No big deal."

More for himself than her. I watched from the corner table as the three boys each quickly gave her a hug, periodically glancing over their shoulders to make sure no one else was approaching. After a moment, the cafe returned to its normal routine. None of the other coffee-goers seemed to recognize the group, which wasn't entirely surprising considering we were in the middle of nowhere, Vermont. Also, known as Woodbury.

I'd only been here for about six months, but you learned quickly how a place like this operated. Outside of foliage season, or fall, the only people around were older couples who had been here for generations and the occasional family passing through on their way to Burlington. Most of the locals assumed I was lost when I first pulled into town, which is part of the reason I decided to stay.

The young girl was still shaking with excitement, a toothy smile plastered across her soft features. "Chris, I love you!" she exclaimed, snaking her arms around one of the boys' waists for a second time.

Chris, who was a good head taller than the girl, laughed uncomfortably. "You're so sweet," he said before offering to take a picture with her. His hair stuck out messily from a black beanie that matched the rest of his colorless outfit.

I know it isn't polite to stare, but it's not everyday that you see a teenage girl lose her mind over a couple of guys. Well, not normal guys, which by her reaction - these clearly were not.

Chris and the two other boys gathered around her as she extended her arm for a selfie, their faces hard-pressed into tight smiles. Chris's arm was draped loosely around her shoulders. The girl gave them each one last hug before scurrying back to her table.

The three of them shifted awkwardly near the hand off plane. I glanced between them, trying to piece together why they looked so familiar. I'd definitely seen them before. TikTok, maybe? Instagram? No, not Instagram. Who recognizes an Instagram influencer in public? Trying not to make it obvious that I was staring, I slowly lifted my phone to look like I was texting and angled the camera in their direction. I zoomed in on their faces, snapping a picture.

From behind the bar, a barista called out, "Matt!" She placed a small paper cup on the counter. "Hot, earl grey."

One of the other guys Chris was with turned towards the hand off plane, catching my gaze. Immediately, everything snapped into focus. These were the Sturniolo Triplets.

Matt held my eyes for a fraction of a second before turning to thank the barista.

Quickly, I dropped my head and shuffled through the pages of my journal. What were they doing in a place like this? I mean, sure, Woodbury was pretty big on tourism, but from what I knew about these guys -- which honestly wasn't that much -- you'd expect them to be out in a big city or something, posting about fancy dinners and brand partnerships. Definitely not hanging out in a quaint, hole in the wall cafe like Last Cup.

I glanced back up at them. Matt and Chris's backs were facing me. They were talking to their oldest brother, Nick, who was carrying on about something that had happened earlier in the day.

Leaning forward to better hear their conversation, my elbow collided with the half-finished cup of coffee sitting on the edge of my table, soaking everything in its vicinity.

"Shit," I jumped up, grabbing the journal by its corner. I shook it hard, letting the coffee run onto the floor. "Shit, shit -"

"Here," a low voice said next to me.

Startled, I turned to find Matt holding out a wad of napkins. His angular face stoic. Unkempt, floppy waves fell over his forehead.

Before I could fully register his presence, Nick came beside him, yanking a clump of napkins out of his ring covered hand. "Matt, for fuck's sake don't just stand there, help wipe it up!"

Flustered, I said, "No, really, you don't have to!," but both boys ignored me as they dabbed up what was left of my drink on the wooden table.

"See, all good," Nick smiled, pleased.

I returned the sentiment. "Thank you, I appreciate it." I could feel warmth spreading to my cheeks. I wasn't entirely sure if it was nervousness or embarrassment. Probably a little bit of both.

Chris stepped around Nick and nodded towards the dripping notebook in my hand. "Did that get ruined?"

Shaking the soggy diary, I shrugged. "Wasn't that important anyways."

For a second none of us said anything, just glanced around the table at each other. If you'd told me this morning that I'd be standing a foot away from three of the most famous YouTubers while they helped wipe up a mess I'd made, I would've laughed in your face. But, here we were, awkwardly crowding around a wobbly wooden table.

I looked each of them over. Although they were identical, they couldn't have looked more different. Nick held himself more confidently than the others. His face centered on mine, shoulders relaxed. Chris radiated warmth. It could've been the fact that the cafe was packed with bodies, but even from a few feet away, you could feel the kindness emanating from him. And Matt stood guard in the middle of his brothers. His hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. Denim eyes taking in everything in front of them.

Not wanting the moment to dissipate, I extended my hand and said, "I'm Nat."

Nick was the first one to take it. "Nick," he said. "And these are my brothers, Chris and Matt."

Chris's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled widely. Matt nodded. As we stood there around the lopsided table, chatting smally, I couldn't shake this feeling settling in my stomach. It's like when you know something is going to happen before it does and you either trust your gut instinct or ignore it.

I usually lean towards the latter.

"Are you guys from around here?" I asked coyly.

"Sort of," Chris responded. He leaned his shoulder up against the wall, crossing his arms.

"We're from Boston, originally," Nick added. "But, we're up here on vacation."

"I can't imagine there's much for you to do up here," I said. The "you" came out more pointed than intended and I immediately tried to regather myself. "What I meant was --"

"Sometimes, it's nice to get away from all the noise," Matt said, sharing a look with his brothers.

I let out a long breath. "Yeah, I get that."

Behind the counter, workers started breaking down the espresso machine and the last remaining customers began gathering their belongings. The young girl from earlier walked past with her parents, stealing another look at the boys. To my surprise, Chris turned and waved to her. Her eyes went wide. She waved back quickly and ducked out the door.

I tried to stifle a laugh behind a cough. Chris raised a brow in my direction. "You okay?"

Clearing my throat I said, "All good."

A couple of staff members started flipping chairs on top of freshly wiped down tables, replacing the rich aroma of coffee beans with Pine Sol.

Nick checked his phone. "It's almost three," he said. "We should probably get going."

The others agreed. "It was nice to meet you, Nat." Chris grinned.

I shook the remaining droplets of coffee off of my journal before tucking it into my tote. "Yeah, it was really nice to meet you guys, too."

Matt stepped aside so that I could slip out from behind the table. Shouldering my bag, I turned back to face them. "Maybe I'll see you around." A small note of hope snuck into my voice.

"Maybe," Matt said, eyeing me closely.

With a smile, I turned my back and left them for the cool, autumn afternoon.

Author note: Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please make sure to vote & leave a comment <3