When his finger reaches my chin, he pulls it in slightly, and then we are kissing. It’s amazing. His lips are soft and full, and our tongues dance together.
We break apart for a moment, and our gazes meet again. There’s a pause, and then he’s pulling me back in.
When we separate, he speaks first. “Sorry, I wasn’t ready for that to be over yet.”
The hummingbirds with their rapidly flapping wings are back, but they begin to ease quickly because this is all starting to feel natural, meant to be.
CHAPTER 21
Summer 17
Music drifts lazily from Rebecca’s Bluetooth speaker while the two of us bask in the sun on the Martins’ dock, enjoying one of the few afternoons we have together, just the two of us.
Propping herself up onto her elbows, Rebecca turns down the volume. “So, it’s been weeks since Andrew broke up with Angelina. I’ve tried not to push the issue, but I’m not very patient. What’s going on with you two?”
I frown. “We were having such a nice afternoon. Do we have to talk about Andrew right now?”
“That right there is exactly why I’m asking! You haven’t said much of anything about him since the camping trip. I thought you liked him. He’s single now! What’s holding you back?”
“It’s complicated, Becs. I kept trying to get up the courage to talk with him, but we always get interrupted, or he says something that makes me think maybe I read everything wrong that happened that day. It’s fine. We’re in a good place now. I’m not going to mess with it. Andrew and I are never going to happen. I’ve made my peace with it,” I say hoarsely.
Rebecca scoffs. “Yeah, right!”
“Please just drop it. I don’t… I can’t… it just won’t work, Becs.”
I meet her eyes, and her gaze softens. She sits up all the way, reaching out and wrapping me up in a tight hug. “It’s going to be okay, Emma. I promise I haven’t noticed anything off between the two of you. You just need to get out of your head. You overthink things way too much.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have any sense of crippling self-doubt.”
“I don’t have it because I won’t allow it. When the doubts creep in, I tell them to get the hell out, and I keep moving. You should try it sometime.” She winks.
“Maybe someday,” I say dreamily.
Rebecca turns the volume back up on the speaker and scrolls through her phone for another song. “Okay, okay, one more song for you. You’ll love this one. No question.”
I settle back down onto my towel. “You seem very confident. What’s the story with this one?” I ask, knowing Rebecca always has a story for the songs she introduces me to.
She shakes her head. “No story this time. I just heard it and immediately thought of you. Listen to the words carefully.”
She hits play, and I listen intently. It’s the story of a man who is in love with his friend. He wants to tell her how he feels, but he’s terrified of ruining their relationship by exposing his true feelings for her. Eventually, he can’t contain it anymore and asks her to be his. It’s a sweet song, and it’s beautifully done. From the singing to the music to the lyrics, it’s all perfect.
The song wraps up, and I look over at Rebecca. “What’s it called?”
“‘Porch Swing Angel’ by Muscadine Bloodline.”
“Send it to me,” I say eagerly.
She beams. “Will do.” As she sits up, she assesses the scene around us. “Alright, I’m tired of lying around, and I’m out of new music for you.”
I sit up too. “Okay, then what do you want to do?”
She brings her pointer finger and her thumb up to her chin to give her best thinking look, but I know her better than that. She has had this planned out for a while. I can see it on her face. “How about we climb the water tower?”
“Veto!” I cringe.
“Well fine, but you don’t get any more vetoes.” It takes her less than a second to suggest another idea. “There are these cliffs about a ten-minute walk from here that are a popular jumping off point. A lot of people from my high school go there, and I’ve always wanted to try it. We should go.”
I give her a hesitant look. “Becs, you know I love you, and I surprisingly still trust your judgment most of the time, even after the tequila incident, but I’m not sure about this one. I’ll openly admit I’m a chicken.”
