It scares the absolute shit out of me, but… I’ve never felt these sorts of feelings foranyonebefore. And I don’t want tolive my life not knowing, like my mom. I really did get a second chance here. If the accident hadn’t happened, I would have left everyone I cared about behind. If I hadn’t found the box, I might have left Nora in my forgotten past. What if there could really be a way I don’t have to give either one up? I won’t know if I don’t try.
“I think I have to,” I reply, an uncontrollable smile spreading across my face at the thought of being able to kiss her again.
“Good. Let me know if you want to hang out soon, or if both of you do. Friend.”
“I will,” I reply before he backs out of the driveway.
But first I need to see if she’ll even see justme.
CHAPTER 28
IWOKE UP THIS MORNINGto two texts. One was an invitation to Jake’s annual post–spaghetti dinner end-of-summer party, and the other was a reply from Nora. No words. Just a red pin, dropped onto Google Maps in the middle of the farm’s woods.
I weave through the trees, glancing down at my phone every so often to make sure I’m staying on course. Everything around me is some shade of green, until finally I catch sight of a pop of colors through the trees in the distance. As I step out of the tree line, the colors take shape into the form of wildflowers. Hundreds of them, and in the center is Nora.
The girl who saved my life.
The girl I haven’t been able to get out of my head all week long.
The girl who, even if I can’t remember how, knows me better than anyone.
She stands up off the ground the second she sees me.
“Hi,” I say, noticing the thick patchwork quilt she has laid out on the ground. On top of it is my backpack, unzipped, with the orange shoe box peeking out. The closer I get, the more nervous I can tell she is. “Do you mind if I sit?”
“Okay,” she replies.
I walk through the flowers and plop down cross-legged on the edge of the blanket, and after a beat she sits down opposite me.
“I think this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. So many different flowers all together.” I smile, looking around us at the ocean of color.
“We planted all these together in the spring. It was actually your idea,” she replies.
“Smart lady.” Both of us share a small smile, but then Nora shakes her head.
“Nora.” My eyes flick down to the shoe box beside her. “Will you tell me about us?”
“Um.” She lets out a deep breath, her head hanging slightly. “Okay.” She nods as she sets the box down between us. She seems different, almost… hopeless. The back of my neck feels too hot, so I put my hair into a bun with the yellow hair tie off my wrist as she reaches into the box.
The first thing she pulls out is the flattened popcorn bag.
“This is from our first real date. We spent ninety-eight percent of our time right here, but we drove into Pittsburgh a few times so we could, you know, actually do something out in public.”
“We really bought our popcorn and stuff there?” I ask, slightly surprised that I would splurge on the movie theater prices.
“Please. We weren’t idiots. We swung by Rite Aid on the way and snuck in the rest of our haul under our coats. Like I’m going to pay seven bucks for a pop.” She rolls her eyes.
I laugh, nodding in approval.
She holds up a football ticket. “The night we met. You know about that.”
Replaying the story in my head, it sounds like so muchmorethan a silly meet cute to me now that I know the truth. I can imagine it, the two of us wandering through the halls of Central Catholic. Lying down side by side in the center of our wooden basketball court, her hand sliding into mine and sparking all the way up my arm, just like in the field.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks, pulling my attention back to her hazel eyes.
“You know when you were telling me that story in the meat shop… I was kinda jealous,” I admit.
“Really?”she asks, and I look away, embarrassed. “Wait, like jealous of what, exactly?”
