As Coco walks away with Natalie, the wind whips her ebony hair. She grabs it and pulls it over one shoulder as she talks to my sister.
I wait for her to pull a pencil from her pocket and twist her hair into a bun. Oh, there it is. Coco fishes a pen from her purse, winds her hair around it, and secures it in place.
How does she do that?
She says something that makes Natalie laugh, and I smirk.
If I could bottle this moment and keep it forever, I would.
Hell, who am I kidding, I’ll remember it anyway, because of what it means, because of what I’m seeing.
Because of who I am.
For weeks I’ve been slowly spinning. I’ve been so worried about who I was before all this, afraid I wasn’t good enough for Coco.
She looks back over her shoulder, spots me, and beams like the sun. A jolt of emotion ricochets through me. My ribs loosen and my pulse kicks.
Maybe I’ve been all wrong. Maybe I didn’t forget who I am. Maybe this whole time I’ve been becoming who I’m meant to be. And it’s because of Coco I’m that person at all.
It’s ironic. I thought I’d lost myself. But maybe I’ve been waiting to be found.
Coco points to one of the locks on the fence, and Natalie waves it off as if she’s saying,It’s not as cool as the heart-shaped one my brother got you.
Then my sister turns around. “Hurry up, slowpoke!”
“Coming!”
I catch up and Coco says, “You okay? You looked pretty deep in thought.”
“Yeah, I hope you didn’t break your brain,” Natalie adds.
I mess up her hair, which makes her shriek, and I laugh. “Don’t worry, I didn’t break my brain. But I was thinking something.”
“What’s that?” Coco asks, grinning up at me in a way that makes my chest feel like it’s on the verge of exploding.
So much I want to say—so, so much. Tell her how beautiful she is. How special. How she fills me with happiness.
Later. I’ll say it all later.
For now, all I share is, “I could use a nap.”
“Yes!” Natalie cheers. “Three-person pile-on nap! Race you home!”
Coco looks over at me. “I’m not doing that.”
I tickle her side and she laughs. “Oh yes, you are.”
Chapter 37
Coco
Natalie keeps us very busy for the rest of the day—a nap pile-on, more exploring, and dinner. By the time the sun’s beginning to set, I get a text from Cristina.
Tonight’s the night—the full moon. It’s now or never.
The joy I’ve felt all day crashes and burns into a pit of ashes.
If I miss gathering the flower, I won’t get another shot for a month. I can’t keep Stone from his memory for that long. It isn’t right.
