Another tear slips down my cheek, and Silas gently brushes it away with his thumb as his lips stay pressed to mine.
When we part, I rest my forehead against his and close my eyes, pulling in a deep breath.
“Much better now.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
I pullmy hoodie over my head as I jog down the stairs, hearing my parents in the kitchen and Winston’s happy taps on the floor. The telltale sign he’s getting treats.
“Good boy!” Mom coos as I enter the kitchen and see Winston sitting with his front paws in the air as Mom feeds him a treat.
“What are you doing to my dog?” I ask, taking in the scene before me.
“Winston is learning how to sit pretty. Aren’t you, buddy?” Mom says, giving him another treat for doing absolutely nothing, with all four paws on the ground.
I sigh and glance at Dad, who just chuckles, turning back to the dishwasher to load the rest of the dishes from supper.
“Where are you going?” Mom asks, her eyes flicking to my hoodie.
“Over to Silas’s,” I say.
Winston immediately jumps up, looking at me with an excited whine, telling me he’s more than ready to go, too.
“Oh?” Dad asks, glancing over his shoulder at me, and Mom perks up.
“Yeah,” I say, glancing between them. “We… figured everything out.”
Mom smiles warmly, and Dad turns to face me with a nod and a smile of his own.
“Glad to hear it,” Dad says. “You guys were more than just friends. I knew you’d find your way back eventually.”
I give him an awkward, tight-lipped smile, trying to keep the flush out of my cheeks.
More than just friends. If only they knew what that actually means now.
“Agreed,” I say with a nod, then quickly turn to head for the front door. “See you later.”
“Bye, honey,” Mom calls after me as I quickly duck outside with Winston on my heels.
I need to find some fucking chill.
The sky is full of rain clouds this evening, and I glance up at them, hoping they’ll hold off a little bit longer. They moved in this afternoon as nothing more than a threat, but now they’re looking like they’re going to make good on that promise.
I pick up my pace as I head up the dirt road towards the farm, glancing back at the house before I turn up the driveway leading to Silas’s cabin.
I told myself I was going to look for a place to live this week, but… being this close has its perks.
What’s a few more weeks of living with my parents?
Light raindrops start to fall just as we start up the driveway, and I glance up at the stormy sky. But then it immediately startspouring.
“Argh!” I pull my hood up and break into a run.
Winston lets out an excited yip as he runs along beside me for a few steps, then takes off ahead of me and disappears around the bend to the cabin before I even pass Silas’s grandparents’ house.
I keep my head down as I run up the driveway and up the cabin steps, nearly running right into Silas on the covered porch.
“Oh.” I come to an abrupt stop and pull my now-soaked hood down to look at Silas standing in the middle of the porch. “Hey.”
