Page 230 of Nobody's Girl

Ally pulls back a little. “I would love to have my cake and eat it too, but I can’t, nor can you.”

“Rhyming now, Al?”

“I guess. I know you want to kiss me, but those days are over. We need to make a new and very different relationship,” she says as she sits back, unjoining our hands. “I suppose the physical contact needs to stop as well, since it gives you a problem.”

Problem? It’s no problem. I love it.

“So do I,” she mumbles.

“What did you say, Al?” I ask, because I’ve just realized she has commented on several of my thoughts. We were close, but never so close we could finish each other’s sentences or know what the other was thinking.

She averts her eyes as the waitress comes back with her chocolate shake and my beer.

Christ! I can’t believe she really brought me one!

Placing a bowl of chips and salsa between us, Bonnie says, “This is on the house. A graduation present from me.”

“Thank you. How nice of you,” Ally says as she looks Bonnie right in the eye.

Another thing so different about her. She was chronically shy. Suddenly that’s gone.

“Thanks, Bonnie,” I add.

Ally pops a dipped chip in her mouth and I do the same. “You have to come see me in New Orleans. We have a chef who cooks like he came straight from heaven,” she says.

“Oh, yeah? So tell me about your new home, Al,” I sa,y but I’m not sure if I’m ready to know.

“There’s better things to talk about. Like the small graduation party my family’s throwing at our house tonight. Wanna come?” she asks.

“He’s going to be there, isn’t he?”

She nods and eats another chip.

Can I do this? Can I put jealousy out of my min, and do this?

I take my cell out and text Laura. (Meet me at Trixie’s when you get back to town. I have a surprise for you.)

“You finally asking Laura to join us?” Al asks.

“Yeah. If she says she’ll go to your party, then I will too.” A smile breaks across Ally’s face and it makes me so damn happy in an instant. “Damn girl, I missed that smile. It’s crazy how much I missed it.”

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed seeing your face every day, Kyle. I can’t give you up completely. Try to look at me in a new way. I’m someone you’ve grown up with. Can’t you look at me like you look at any of the other girls in our class?” she asks, then places the straw in between her red, plump lips, unaware of how beautiful she is.

I lean in and pull the straw from her mouth. “Can you look at me like you look at all the rest of the boys in our class, Ally?” I ask, then pull the tall glass of chocolate liquid to my mouth as she still holds it in her hand. Placing the straw between my lips, I take a sip.

Her eyes go to my lips and she licks hers. “Guess not.” Her eyes travel back to mine and she says, “We have a lot to work through, don’t we?”

That we do!

CHAPTER 30

ALYSSA

How can it be possible to love two completely different people at once and to know it will be this way forever?

What was Our Creator thinking to let this happen?

I sit across from Kyle and Laura at Trixie’s café. They hold hands and every so often share a private whisper and giggle with each other. Cody has joined us and he sits next to me. Never have I felt more comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.