“You need to tell her, man. Don’t let another day go by without letting her know. Maybe hearing you say those words again will make her realize that you two are meant to be together,” Santiago says, squeezing my shoulder.
He’s right. I need to stop waiting for the right moment.
I fish my phone out to text her and see a new message notification from five minutes ago.
Annalise
Hey. Can we talk tonight?
My stomach flutters and a grin spreads across my face. The boys hover over my shoulders and stare down at the phone.
“Talk about a fucking sign!” Elijah beams.
“Can y’all please not stand over me?” I ask.
“Fine. But you better tell us every single detail.”
“Whatever,” I say, shaking my head.
Me
Sure. Meet me at our spot tonight at 7?
Annalise
Okay. I’ll be there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
annalise
Soft pinkand golden hues paint the sky, and the gentle breeze caresses my skin as I stroll along the rugged shoreline. Blissful memories wash over me and flutters form in the pit of my stomach when I near the secluded beach cove. I can feel Maddox’s presence nearby, pulling me like a magnet to the place that belongs to us and only us.
This place was our sanctuary. We used to come here when we needed to escape from the rest of the world. Maddox and I would spend hours talking or just being together in silence, and we’d often lose track of time.
My heart hammers against my ribs when I see him standing inside the cove. He looks devastatingly handsome. The sunlight beams on his face, illuminating those beautiful brown eyes.
Maddox lifts his hand and places it on the wall of the cavern, his fingers tracing over the engraving of our initials and the heart surrounding it.
“You know, today would mark six years since I did this.” Maddox turns to me, the corners of his mouth curving into a dimpled smile.
Heat flushes my cheeks and the flutters in my stomach intensify.Six years ago he told me loved me in this very spot, and later he carved our initials into the wall.
I step closer to him and my hand reaches up to trace over it. “I can’t believe it’s been that long.”
“When was the last time you were here?” Maddox glances at me sidelong.
I tug at the hem of my shirt. “Gosh, I haven’t been here since we left for college.”
His hand brushes against mine, and instinctively I interlace my fingers with his. Electricity thrums through my veins at the simple touch. Alarms go off in my head, telling me to let go, but being here with him feels so right. I don’t want to let go.
“This place holds a piece of us,” he says. “I’d come here hoping one day I would see you again, and that you would come back to me.”
There were a handful of times where I came back to San Francisco to visit and felt a pull toward the cove. I would drive around aimlessly, and before I knew it, I would end up near where we would typically park. Once I realized where I was, I would turn back around.
I wonder if it was his soul trying to reach for me.
He turns his body toward me, his eyes meeting mine. “I really missed you, Annalise. Not a day went by where you didn’t cross my mind.”
