Hold the Forevers

“Uh, no?”

“She was the blonde. I think she was in your Chemistry class junior year.”

“Hmm … maybe?”

“Well, she married Destin Holloway. Do you remember him? Such a nice young man.”

“Nope.”

“Anyway, they had their second baby. She’s such a cutie.”

My mom did this. She liked to regale us all with people that we might have casually known as an adolescent and then talk about them as if we were all still friends. If Amanda had been in my Chemistry class, I had no real recollection of who she was now. But my mom had been working at St. Catherine’s since I was a sophomore and now actually knew everyone. I was glad that she was full-time at the school and didn’t need a second job anymore.

We filtered out in the aisle, and I scanned the cathedral seating. It was packed for Easter. I hoped that the sheer size of the place gave us some anonymity. Because though I never knew the people my mom was talking about, I did know people here in Savannah. Especially a certain someone who would likely be here for Easter mass with his parents.

Running into Ash Talmadge was low on my priority list. Really low.

I hadn’t seen him since we’d slept together that night on Frat Beach. I’d been furious with Ash and not returned a single message since. Not that it stopped him from sending them. I still occasionally received messages from him that I should have deleted but hadn’t.

We’d almost made it out of the church and onto safer ground. I could see the exit in front of me like a beacon. Then my mom was stopped by an elderly couple a few feet from the welcoming double doors, and my sisters broke off into clusters to talk to friends.

“Mom, I’m going to step outside,” I told her.

“Of course, honey.”

She’d be at this for a while.

I took two steps outside and breathed in the air of safety when I heard a voice behind me. My eyes closed, and I sighed. Should have known better.

Ash stood in front of the church. He looked so … Ash. A crisp black suit, pressed white button-up, blue seersucker bow tie. He’d definitely tied the thing himself. His blue eyes swept my body, taking in my toned legs, the flirty skirt of my pink sundress, and then the intensity of my eyes. My body wanted to take a step toward him. I wanted it. I always had. But I remained rooted in place.

“Hi,” I said.

“You’re in Savannah.”

“Obviously.”

“Just for the holiday?”

I nodded. “My mom is helping me decide on where to go for PT school.”

“That’s incredible, Lila. I know you’ve always wanted that.”

“I have to go.”

Being around him hurt. Here we were, in the same city we’d been five years ago when he shattered my heart. And it could have been so easy with him. It could have been my whole world. Some days, I thought that I was over all the pain we’d caused each other, that maybe we could even be friends. Actual friends. Then, I would get one glimpse of those blue eyes, and I knew the truth.

“Wait,” he said, grasping my elbow.

“Ash.”

“You never responded to any of my messages.”

“Shouldn’t that be a hint?”

“I don’t want you to hate me forever.”

I bit my pale pink lip. “I don’t hate you.”

He scoffed.

“I don’t,” I insisted. “Hate is too one-dimensional. We’re complicated.”

“We don’t have to be.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Okay, Ash. I’m going to go.”

“It was good seeing you.”

And despite fucking everything, it was good to see him.

I whipped around, prepared to ask him why he always fucking did this to me, but then a petite brunette traipsed out of the cathedral and ran right up to him. My eyes widened to saucers as she threw her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“There you are!”

Ash drew her in close. He smiled down at her. A real smile. An Ash smile. Something panged in my chest. I’d never seen him look at someone else like that. Even when he’d been dating that girl in college—whatever her name was—it had seemed like temporary bliss. Something about this girl was different. The perfect cookie-cutter Easter Sunday dress. The fact that she was even here with him. Which meant … she was here with his parents too.

I took another step back. I should have run. No need to make this more difficult for either of us.

“Who’s your friend?” she asked.

Ash’s gaze shifted back to mine. “This is Lila.”

“Oh!” the girl said. Her eyes skittered back to Ash in question.

So, this girl knew who I was. Peachy.

God, it was so like Ash to do this. To pursue me here like this when he had his girlfriend inside. He couldn’t ever just be alone.

“This is Heather,” Ash said to me.