The Road That Leads to Us (Us 1)

I ducked my head, hiding my smile, and strode inside.

The building was an even bigger clusterfuck of random junk.

It kind of looked like a yard sale threw up in here.

“Dean!” Willow called from somewhere in the large building.

I couldn’t see her because the shelves were piled so high with shit.

“Dean!” She sing-songed.

“What aisle are you on?” I called back, although there seemed to be no marker to indicate aisles.

The place was a fucking maze.

A second later her laughter sounded closer and she came barreling down the aisle I was on with the most obnoxious yellow hat on I’d ever seen.

The thing was huge, four times the size of her head, and covered in yellow feathers.

“Did Big Bird attack you?” I asked.

She pursed her lips. “You mean I don’t look fabulous?”

“I didn’t say that.” I chuckled.

“Take a picture.”

“Do you have your camera?” I asked.

She nodded and let her backpack strap slide down her arm. She tugged the zipper open and pulled out the camera. I nearly dropped it when she thrust it into my hands but managed to recover.

Willow tossed her head back and grinned broadly while waving her hands through the air like dancers sometimes did.

I held the camera up and pressed the little button to take the picture. The flash was nearly blinding to even me, and I wasn’t the one standing in front of the camera. Willow blinked rapidly while I waited for the picture to print out.

She took the camera and Polaroid from me and returned them to her backpack.

Grabbing my hand, she began to tug me along behind her. “There’s something I want to show you.”

I let her guide me, but it didn’t really matter.

I’d follow that girl anywhere.

She turned down an aisle that was covered in so many feathers it made her hat look like it had none.

She reached out and grabbed a fluffy pale pink boa and tied it around my neck.

“That’s a good look for you,” she commented, fighting a wide smile.

“Mhmm,” I hummed, tilting my chin up, “does it make me look like a model?”

“Absolutely.” She fiddled in her pocket and pulled out a lollipop. She undid the wrapper and stuck it in her mouth. Willow’s sweet tooth was insatiable.

She pulled her camera out once more and snapped a picture of me.

As I blinked my eyes, letting the white dots disperse, it became clearer and clearer to me how much I wanted this girl.

I didn’t know how much longer I could resist the pull I felt.