“Oh shit, you’re right,” I say, holding back a laugh at the memory. “That was an epic night of Seven Minutes in Heaven.”
She smiles. “Back in the good old days, or as I like to call them, P.J.”
I frown. “Pajamas?”
“Pre-Juliette.”
“Ah, right. You and Rose were enough girls for the three of us anyway.”
“Like you noticed we were girls.” She rolls her eyes.
“Trust me. We noticed. Why do you think we played Seven Minutes in Heaven? It was just an excuse to kiss you.”
“You mean one of us.”
I reach out and touch her cheek. “No, I mean you. Not that I wouldn’t have kissed Rose too, my virginal lips were indiscriminate, but I had eyes for one girl back then. And now.”
I can’t believe I just admitted that. I busy myself by taking a long gulp of my drink.
“I didn’t know you felt that way about me. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“Because you were in love with my best friend, and I thought he was in love with you.”
Something flickers in her eyes. “What about when he wasn’t your best friend anymore?”
“Things got complicated, Kenley, you know that.” She nods and takes a sip of her drink. We all lost a lot of time. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she replies.
“Are you still in love with him?”
Immediately, I regret asking. Why would I want to know? She spent the night kissing me under the bleachers—not him. Shouldn’t that enough? I swallow the remainder of my drink and dare looking at her.
This time I do recognize the emotion in her eyes. Guilt. Sadness. Reality.
“I meant what I said under the bleachers, Ozzy. I like you.” Her outer thigh rests against mine. “But you’re right. Letting go of Finn has been hard for me and everything is so weird right now. I finally can talk to him again. And you. And even Ezra. I never expected that to happen.”
I reach out and take her hand, threading our fingers together.
“Then let’s explore the weirdness. And we’ll just be honest with each other, despite the fact that it seems to be really hard to do in this town.”
She laughs and leans over to kiss me on the cheek. It’s enough, and not enough, all at once, but I know I can’t rush this—rush her. I’ve waited years for this chance and I’ll give her all the space she needs to figure it out.
I just plan on continuing to kiss her while that happens.
27
Kenley
The downstairs bathroom has a long line. I press my back against the wall, pretending to be very busy with my phone, listening to my classmates talk about their new favorite subject: Rose.
“Do you really think she’s dead?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone pushed her.”
“Not cool. But I did hear about a secret boyfriend.”