“I don’t know. I missed you, Julian. I didn’t realize how I felt until it wastoolate.”
I waited for her to elaborate. I wanted so badly to ask how she felt. But I couldn’t do it. Instead, I continued to stand there looking at her. I could feel the air getting thicker with the words that were left unsaidbetweenus.
“Okay.” Katie eventually sighed. “I’ll see youaroundthen.”
“I guess so,” I said, as she got off the trampoline. I didn’t bother helping her down. She didn’t reach for the blanket before walking toward thefrontyard.
“Your blanket,” I calledafterher.
“Keep it,” she said, notlookingback.
I watched as she left my yard, I even followed her around the house and watched as she made her way back to her dad’s house down the street. My eyes never left her, even as I stayed in thefrontyard.
Once she was in her house, I walked back to grab the blanket she left behind. I lifted it up and looked at it, trying to figure out why she didn’t take it with her. It was a dark blue quilt, nothing flashy except for a few yellow stars that weresewnon.
That and the initials sewn in thecorner.
J. A +K.L.
ChapterTwenty-Five
Katie
Fourdays.
That was how long it had been since I’d seen Julian. I had gone seeking forgiveness for being another person to abandon him. I had been so happy to see the class catalog in his hand. He was going to go to college. He hadn’t given up. I was so damned proudofhim.
Unfortunately, now I was faced with the very real possibility that I had screwed things up so badly with him, he would neverforgiveme.
Thankfully, he wasn’t the only reason I was back in River Valley. I did want to pursue my relationship with my dad. I was grateful for genuine friendship with Gwen, and wanted to be close to her. I was looking into BSU for school. It wasn’t the school that had always been in the center of my dreams of the future. It wasn’t even close. But knowing Gwen and Mitch would be there, I wasn’t as scared of thechange.
Plus, I really did miss the scenery out here. The changing of the seasons would take some time getting used to, but Idaho felt like hometome.
It didn’t mean Florida was in my past and I’d never go back. I had already agreed to go back and visit my grandparents no less than three times a year. Christmas break and summer break were givens. My grandma had insisted on an additionalwild cardtrip as well. Thanksgiving, Spring Break, whatever. It didn’t matter, just as long as I was seeing themregularly.
It had been an easy concession. I would miss them and the gorgeous weather. Even now, I was trying to convince Gwen she needed to come back with me over Christmasbreak.
“It’s only a couple of weeks away, Katie,” she argued. “There’s no way my parents would let me go. Besides, you just got back. You seriously can’t be considering leavingagain.”
“I told my grandma Iwould.”
“What about Julian? He’ll becrushed.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that’s going to be a problem. He still won’t talktome.”
“Oh, Katie,” Gwen said, pity clearly displayed on her face. It was a look that used to send me running for the hills. Now, I realized it was there because Gwen truly cared about me. She wanted things to work out with Julianandme.
“Have you talked to him?” I asked her, hoping for anupdate.
“We’re still friends. I might be one of his onlyfriends.”
“Ouch.”
“I’m sorry, Katie, but it’s true. I’ve forgiven you, but I guess he’s just not ready. I’m not going to stop being there for him just because you two have shit toworkout.”
Her phone dinged and she took a couple of minutes to respond to whoever it was. I had a feeling it was Mitch. She had been pretty tightlipped about him since I had been back, always probing into my drama instead of offering up her own. But Gwen was like that, private until she was readytotalk.
While she responded, I looked through her parents’ movie collection. We had agreed the night would be one full of ice cream and movies. An action film caught my eye, one I knew had zero love story going on. How funny it was our roles had been reversed not thatlongago.
