She walks over to me, and I pull her into my arms. The last forty-eight hours have been the best of my life. I’m not looking forward to heading home soon. I bury my face in her hair, breathing her in, trying to get my fill before I have to go back to spending nights without her.
“Are you going to add some new pictures to your board?” I try to sound casual and keep the jealousy out of my tone. It’s my fault Willow slid into my place. Willow is good for her, and I know that. I would never even think about coming between them, nor is there any reason to. Doesn't mean I’m not a jealous bastard.
“I don’t replace pictures. I get new boards.” She turns in my arms. After we untangled ourselves from each other Saturday morning, Zoey made us breakfast before I took her out to Lake Ortero. As kids we’d spend so much time out there swimming and fishing. Zoey would bring her camera and capture it all.
Zoey was always the dreamer of the two of us, declaring that we’d have our own lake house one day. There was never a we should try or I want with Zoey. When she had her mind set on something she was going to do it. Just like getting into Kingston. She did that too.
“I’m going to show you something, but you better not get cocky about it.” I smile, unable to help myself. I give her ass a squeeze before I let her go. She walks over to her closet, and I see her shuffle through a few boards before she turns around with one in her hand. “I told myself at first I was taking the pictures for the yearbook. Then when I started putting them on a board I thought maybe it could be a gift to your dad. He’s always been good to Mom and me.”
I nod in understanding. We always watched out for them, even mowing their lawn and shoveling their drive when it snowed. I know Dad has done some work on both of their cars. To be honest, I’ve seen my dad staring over here a few times. I think he might have a thing for Zoey’s mom.
She turns the board around, showing me all the pictures she’s taken. Most of them are of me on the football field. There are a few others of me not in uniform. One of them is me asleep in class and another in the cafeteria. She’s been watching me too. I don’t know much about all that soul mates crap, but that has to be what we are. Even though she thought I’d dropped her, deep down inside she still didn't let go of me. We were always meant to be.
“There should be so many of you and me together,” I get out, my throat feeling tight.
“Maybe.” She shrugs. “But we’re young and full of hormones. It might actually have been good for us. Plus, I found Willow.” I only nod in agreement. I’m over the moon that she feels that way. I don’t, but that’s my shit to bear because I was the reason we weren't together. My head had been so messed up trying to understand what the hell was happening. And trying to convince myself that I shouldn’t be having those sorts of thoughts about my best friend. I thought I had a handle on it until the dreams about her started. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get them to stop. That was my breaking point. It’s when I decided that I needed to let her go for a while for her own good. I was such an idiot.
“Stop.” She smacks my arm. “Let it go. You’re not going to beat yourself up over this for the rest of our lives. I think you did enough of that on your own over the years.” She places the board on her bed. “I always wanted to ask you why you never smiled.” She runs her fingers over one of the pictures where everyone is celebrating our state win. “You never show much emotion in any of them, but you always gave a little nod.”
“Another one down,” I say. Her eyebrows pull together, and I want to lean down and kiss her there. “One step closer to getting what I want.”
“Scholarship?”
“Part of it, but I needed a scholarship to the right place.”
Her lips part, a small gasp leaving them. “Oh, Reid.” She turns and puts her hand on my chest. Her eyes are filled with unshed tears. “You have to follow your own dreams. We don’t have to go to the same college, we'll make it work.” Yeah, no fucking way am I losing her again.
“I am following my dreams.”
“Who knew Reid Knight would be such a sweetheart?”