Mikey was cackling.
Cary shook his head. “Screw you.”
Sixteen
before
Once Cary started kissing Shiloh, that day in her dorm room—he couldn’t stop.
He’d alwaysknownthat if he started kissing Shiloh, he wouldn’t be able to stop. That was one of the reasons that kissing her had always been such a bad idea.
You can’t date your best friend in high school.
Cary couldn’t have datedShiloh.
There was nowhere for them to go with each other. The minute they started, they’d be at the finish line.
He already knew her so well.
He already loved her so much.
What were they going to do, get married?
What were they going to do if theycouldn’tget married? Destroy everything? Their friendship? Their shot at something bigger?
Cary wasn’t ready for... whatever it would be between him and Shiloh.
And he wasn’t even sure whether shewantedanything. He was pretty sure she didn’t want what he had to offer her—which was everything.
Maybe someday, he’d told himself, they’d both be ready for this.
Maybe someday it would be appropriate to kiss her and never stop...
Was this the day?
Or had Cary just made a terrible mistake?
Seventeen
before
They’d ended up on her bed. Shiloh was in his lap. Cary’s hands were on her thighs, just under her skirt.
She’d touched his tie, his tie clip, his single ribbon. She’d worried at his collar. She’d covered his ears with her hands and then pinched his earlobes.
He wasn’t sure that she’d ever been kissed before, but she’d thrown herself into it—and Cary loved how eager she was. How happy she seemed. How absolutely Shiloh she was being about it all. Best-case-scenario Shiloh.
She pulled away from the kiss to look down at him. She was holding his face. He felt like he must be glowing—like he must have the dumbest possible smile, a cat with a face full of cream.
Shiloh was giggling and touching his lips.
She jumped when the door opened. Cary grabbed on to her hips.
Shiloh stood up quickly. Cary sat up. Wiped his mouth. Adjusted his shirt.
A pudgy blond girl walked in. She looked at Shiloh. Then at Cary. She raised her eyebrows. “Hello.”
“Darla—this is Cary, my high school friend. Cary, this is my roommate, Darla. She’s from Iowa City, and she’s pretty wonderful.”
