"Hi." I’m breathless at the mere sight of him. He’s wearing a plain black hooded sweater, dark blue jeans, and all black sneakers.
"Hi," he says back, chuckling as we stand in my open doorway.
"Should we get going?" I ask before I have time to change my mind and drag the both of us inside my apartment and lock the door for the night.
Or week.
"In a minute," he whispers, as he presses my back up against the side of the door frame. His body towering over mine, resting one hand at the top of the frame above us, while the other tips my chin up so my lips can meet his.
Kissing him back briefly, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach and the excitement down below, I reluctantly push his chest away from mine, causing our lips to part, and pull my front door closed behind us. His laughter echoing through the hallway of my apartment building.
"Where are we going?" I ask as we buckle up and he turns the ignition on for his car.
"You’ll see." He smirks, flashing me that dimple that I adore.
Reaching his arm across my lap, he takes my hand in his, bringing the back of it to his lips before placing both of our hands in his lap.
As we drive through town, I realize that since being back, I’ve mostly stuck to places in my comfort zone.
Mostly.
I have absolutely zero plans to jump off the cliff again, but at least now I can say I’ve done it.
Harley, Bea, and I frequent Katie’s for milkshakes, and I’ve been to Bridie’s with my sisters a handful of times, too. But otherwise, the rest of my time is spent at work, my family home, or split between Harley’s apartment and mine.
I have no intention of changing any of that anytime soon.
It’s getting late out, which means everything in Grangewood is closed or closing, so it’s basically a ghost town. But as I look around our surroundings as we drive, I realize that not a lot has changed.
There are a few new clothing stores to help the town keep up with the latest fashion trends, and Laney’s yoga studio, but aside from that, most things are exactly how they used to be, and it makes me happy.
Change isn’t always necessary.
"I thought we were going to eat ice cream?" I try to hide my slight disappointment as we drive past the only ice cream parlor in town, watching as it closes its doors for the night.
"We are." He grins as he reaches into the back seat, patting the freezer bag that occupies the space. My disappointment is instantly replaced with an overwhelming feeling that I can’t quite place, but I don’t want to question it. I’m not ready to.
Heplannedthis.
He put in effort.
A real date.
My very first one.
"How do you know that you got a flavor that I like?" I tease, raising a brow as I look in his direction. Realistically, I’m not picky with ice cream, but he doesn’t need to know that.
"I have a good memory. Salted caramel crunch, with cookie dough and sour worms," he says, scrunching up his nose. I haven’t had that combination since high school.
"How did you—" I begin, but he kisses my hand again.
"I told you. Good memory," he says while tapping his temple with his finger. Keeping his eyes firmly locked on the road, I note the turn he takes, and it hits me where we’re going.
"Our high school?" I ask, confused, as he parks his car in the dark, empty parking lot. Racing around to the passenger side of his Range Rover, he opens my door for me as I take his hand and step out.
It’s barely changed since graduation.
The brick sign that reads ‘Grangewood High - Home of the Panthers’still has signatures from every student who’s ever graduated.
