Sammie’s smile was small, wistful. “You always have been a stickler.” Her gaze fell to her plate, empty now but for a small pool of syrup. “I honestly didn’t think you would say yes to this.”
Kieran couldn’t really believe it himself. He still didn’t know exactlywhyhe was agreeing to it all. He opened his mouth to say as much when Sammie continued.
“I thought I’d get to have you turn me down a second time.” She chuckled, reaching up to tug the scrunchie out of her hair, letting it cascade around her face, waves falling just past her shoulders. Kieran thought he could smell her shampoo, a soft hint of strawberries that was nearly drowned out by the warm scents left behind from their meal together.
“It’s different this time.”
Kieran didn’t frame it as a question. He searched Sammie’s face, looking for any sign, any flicker that contradicted what he’dsaid. She hesitated, still looking down at her plate, long enough that a wriggle of doubt began to burrow into Kieran’s mind.
“Yeah.” She finally looked up. “Yeah, it’s different this time.” A small shrug. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
He nearly winced. That had been what he’d called her, hadn’t it? So long ago, when two years had felt like a generational gap. It hadn’t been fair of him, even back then, not when he’d seen Atticus as an equal peer. But Sammie had always been… Well, just Sammie. Headstrong, talented, she and her brother had always been a package deal. It had taken Kieran by surprise, the fact that she’d harbored any feelings beyond friendship for him. She had always been a friend, but she was also his best friend’ssister. And that was how he had always seen her.
If Kieran was honest with himself, it hadn’t been until three years ago, at Greta’s funeral, that he had finally seen a side of Sammie that had broken past the mold he’d placed her into in his mind. On that day, he’d seen just how hard Sammie loved, and it had been beautiful, even as it ripped his heart in two.
Sammie always had managed to find ways to surprise him.
“Let me know when you have those lists ready.” Kieran was already making mental notes of what rules he himself would like to set in place. Because a part of him, a small, anxious creeping thing that clawed at the back of his mind, was worried that whatever this was that they were doing now would lead to the same sort of heartbreak he’d caused her ten years earlier.
A smaller, quieter, barely there whisper was present in his mind, ready to counter the thought.
What if it turned out different this time?
“I will.” She rose from the booth, and Kieran followed. “Thanks. For letting me do this. Your dad said the damage from the storm is worse than we thought, and I don’t have new window-money right now.”
Because that’s all this was. A business partnership, one that would benefit them both. That was easy for Kieran to grasp, something he understood. Even still, he wanted a rule about things likefeelings, just to err on the side of caution.
“Next week is an off week, we don’t play again until the following weekend,” he said as they both paid for their meals. They stepped out into the balmy summer night. The city was quieter, but still teaming with life. The teens who had occupied the corner booth came spilling out of the diner behind them, laughing and shoving one another, moving as one huddled, happy mass down the sidewalk.
That had been him, Atticus, and Sammie once. They’d had other friends, sure, but the three of them had persisted when others had come and gone. Kieran stopped, turning to face Sammie, who stood with her arms crossed, waiting for him to continue, raising a brow as he finally did.
“We could go down to the house next Friday. I can help out, work on a few things. Mom’s nagging me to come back down this week anyway. Then we can drive back before the game Sunday.”
Sammie nodded. “Okay, yeah, that would be great.”
“And I’m free after training on Wednesday.” Itwasa little weird, making the arrangements in person. Kieran hoped the awkwardness would fade quickly, which was part of why he asked what he did next. “If you’d like to go ahead and get started… working together.” Now that he’d made up his mind to try things out with her, he was ready to get it over and done with. No sense drawing things out, and unknowns gave him hives. Better to just rip the bandaid off and see if Sammie’s plan for them was going to work out.
“Wednesday.” She had the same, wide-eyed look in her eyes as earlier, and the pretty, pink tint on her cheeks was nearly drowned out by the colorful lights cast by the diner’s neon sign.
Kieran watched her hands, noting when one shifted so she could pick at a nail. Was it too soon? Had he already messed it all up? But then, sucking in a quick, deep breath, Sammie nodded.
“Wednesday it is.”
That same determination was there in her eyes, a wall of storm clouds that threatened to bowl him over.
Kieran hoped he wasn’t making a mistake. Because if he was, Atticus really was going to eviscerate him.
Atticus: SO
Sammie: What
Atticus: Why are you so mean to me
Atticus: Why must I always pry information from you
Atticus: Don’t you love me???
Sammie: We had waffles and talked, that’s it.
