I didn’t want to tell him. I shouldn’t care, but for some reason I did. I knew how long and hard he’d worked to earn the money to buy me that ring. I didn’t want to confess what I’d done.
“I stood at the edge of the lookout, leaned over the railing a little, and screamed how much I hated you, hated Aubrey, hated that whole damn college… and some more choice words. And I took off that ring you gave me for high school graduation. The one you said meant we’d be together forever. I threw it as hard as I could and watched the sun glint off the gold as it flew through the air.”
He looked sad. “I wondered where it went, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask why you weren’t wearing it.”
“That’s good. I would’ve given you an earful. Anyway, it was cathartic. After I did that, I felt lighter. Like I could leave and start over with a clean slate. I could go to a new college where no one knew me as #SorrySadie, and I could just be me again. After that, I started to heal. It was a long process, but I’ve come a long way.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry. I took the best thing in my life and broke it. I tossed real gold aside for fool’s gold.”
“What?”
“You. You’re the most beautiful, sweetest, most loyal person I know. You’re golden. Our relationship was golden. But I passed it all up for some fake, overly made-up jersey chaser. She was the sparkly fool’s gold that distracted me. I made the worst choices for a couple of years. And they’re still affecting me.”
“That makes me think of the Robert Frost poem.”
He side-eyed me. “Okay, English teacher. You act like I just know the one you’re talking about.”
“‘Nothing Gold Can Stay.’”
He nodded. “I do actually remember that one. It always makes me think ofThe Outsiders. You know, how they keep telling Ponyboy to ‘stay gold’?”
“Look at you pulling out a literary reference,” I laughed. “That’s great you remember that. They teach it in eighth grade now instead of ninth when we had it.”
“I always liked English. I just knew business was a more practical major for me. What with Dad having the car dealerships and all.” He picked up a few more acorns, preparing to launch them one by one over the railing of lookout point. “But back to that quote. I see how it fits our situation. Hell, everyone even called us the golden couple.”
“And I guess that sums it up,” I said. “We burned bright and hot like gold. It couldn’t last. It was never going to last.” I stood up and brushed myself off. “Nothing gold can stay,” I murmured softly.
“You leaving?”
I nodded. “Look, don’t skip Melinda and Drake’s events because of me. I can handle this, okay? And Drake deserves to have his best friend around him during this time.”
“If you’re sure.” He stood up, too, and suddenly he was too close. I could feel the warmth of his body radiating off him. His minty breath was warm on my face. And his smell. It was the same as it had always been. Outdoorsy, salty, piney, and a hint of citrus. I breathed it in, unashamed for once.
He did the same. “You smell so good. Just like you always did.” He pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and stared into my eyes. “Lavender and lemon,” he whispered, his eyes dropping to my lips. He moved slightly closer, until our lips were only centimeters apart. I felt myself starting to lean towards him, drawn in by memories and an attraction that just wouldn’t die.
The hoot of an owl in the branches above us brought me out of my trance. I startled and stepped back. My foot landed awkwardly on a tree root, and if he hadn’t reached out and caught me around the waist, I would have fallen. For just a minute we stood there, his big hands burning through the thin material of my dress until it felt as if he was touching me naked. Then I recovered.
“Well,” I said, extricating myself. “See you at the next shower or whatever.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched me go. When I’d made it almost to the edge of the downhill trail, he called out to me. I turned and he held up a hand in farewell.
I waved back, turned, and left him behind me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Harrison
The joint bachelor and bachelorette party was… boring. It’s not like I was expecting strippers or anything. As best man, I’d hoped the maid of honor, AKA Sadie, and I would have to plan it together. But Melinda and Drake had planned it forever ago, apparently. The two of them had a huge love for board games of all kinds and were extremely competitive.
Drake had rented out an event space in Halliwell, not wanting to use the banquet hall in Indigo Falls yet again. Everything was taken care of and set up for the night. I knew it was being catered, there was an open bar, and there would be lots of space for the kinds of competitive games Melinda and Drake liked to play, like Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, Scattergories, and so on.
It was a little strange to see everyone wearing dressy cocktail party attire to get ready to play charades and things like that, but whatever. I stood off to the side, drinking a glass of whiskey and watching as teams were forming. I wasn’t sure if they were being set up by Melinda and Drake, or if I needed to find my own partner. I glanced around. I hadn’t seen Sadie yet. I hoped she didn’t bring a date. I’d love to be her partner, but I wasn’t holding out much hope.
I smiled as I thought about how we’d used to dominate in certain games. We wiped the floor with everyone else inPictionary and charades because we’d always seemed to be able to read each other’s minds.
“What are you smiling at?” I looked up to see one of the bartenders smiling at me. She was good looking, with dark hair and eyes, and a shirt that was way too tight for the size of her breasts.
I wasn’t interested in the slightest.
