“What did you do in here—blow up your closet?”

“Yeah. We had a fight. I think it wants to file for divorce.”

He laughed, and I heard him dropping clothes onto the floor from my bed. I turned round to tell him to be careful and not crease my stuff, when he dropped face-first onto my duvet.

“What were you grumbling to yourself about?” he asked.

“Nothing, just…”

He raised an eyebrow, giving me that unconvinced expression that told me he knew exactly what was up but just wanted to hear me say it. “Bikini not skimpy enough for my brother?”

I threw a tank top at him. “No, it’s not that.”

“Then what? Oh, man, no, don’t tell me you’re gonna make me go shopping for lingerie or something. Please, Shelly, anything but that! Tampons I can do, but not—not—lingerie!”

I laughed. Lee was about the only person I’d let get away with calling me Shelly instead of Elle (short for Rochelle), although Noah would use the nickname too, just to tease me. “Not that either. It’s my pajamas.”

“Oh, that’s all you’re worried about?” Lee laughed. He rolled on my bed and leaned over the edge to look into my case. “You’ll look fine whatever you’re wearing. Besides, it’s not like he’s really going to care.”

I smiled at Lee. No matter what was getting me down, he could always brighten me back up in an instant.

“How long have you been packing now, anyway?” he asked. “Eighteen hours?”

I wavered. “Eight.”

My best friend gave me a long, flat look, and then we both burst out laughing.

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you”—I pointed an accusing finger at him—“haven’t even started yet.”

“You,” he told me, pointing a finger back at me, “would be totally right.”

Lee cleared his throat suddenly and picked up my pillow, tweaking at the pillowcase.

“So…you’re still cool Rachel’s coming with us, right?”

You’ve only asked about a billion times….

It was like he was worried I’d throw a tantrum, tell him he couldn’t change things this year and how dare he bring his girlfriend!

I mean, in a way, yeah, I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want Rachel there. I wanted it to be the same as it always was and always had been.

But how selfish would that be?

For one thing, I was dating his older brother. I could hardly tell Lee I didn’t want him to bring his girlfriend along when I’d have my boyfriend there.

Besides, even if I weren’t with Noah, things were always going to be different this year anyway.