“What about this?” I asked, holdingitup.
“Sure, sounds great,” she said, barely looking up from her phone. It irritated me she had agreed to our girls’ night in, but had been distracted almost the entire time. I tried to remind myself there were worst things she could do. I don’t know, like fly across the country without anywarning.
The movie hadn’t been on for longer than ten minutes when the doorbell rang. I looked to Katie who was wrapped in her blanket, shoveling a bite of ice cream into hermouth.
“Would you mind getting that?” she asked aroundthebite.
“Did you order a pizza?” I asked. We both loved to eat and I could forgive her flakiness if it was for the sake of food. “Did youalreadypay?”
Her mouth was suddenly full of another bite and she couldn’t say anything beyond a muffled sound I interpreted as a yes. Thank goodness she was finally getting into it. I didn’t want to stuff my face alonetonight.
I ran to the door, but when I opened it, it wasn’t a pizza delivery man. It wasJulian.
Julian was here. My heart was threatening to beat out of mychest.
“How did you know I was here?” I asked but the look he gave me in response was answer enough. “Gwen,” I said, answering my ownquestion.
“I wasn’t sure what to say. I thought it might be better if I just showed up. Go for a ridewithme?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!” Gwen hollered from the other room, obviously listening to every word we spoke in the doorway. “Now, get out of here so I can watch mymovie.”
I didn’t bothering replying, but instead followed Julian tohiscar.
He drove us out to the desert. The weather was freezing and I was thankful for the heavy jacket I had brought to Gwen’s. Between it and the heat coming from the vents inside the vehicle, I wascomfortable.
I didn’t know where he was taking me. I knew it wasn’t the caves, because we had driven out there not that long ago. It was also was getting late. I didn’t think the caves would be safe after dark. As angry as Julian might be, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I watched the scenery out the window as hedrove.
When he suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere and got out of the car, I followed him. I watched as he grabbed a blanket out of the backseat.Myblanket.
“Why did you leave this at my house the other night, Katie?” he asked, holding it up so I could see it better. As if I didn’t have the entire thing committed tomemory.
“I made it for you. I wanted you to have it even if you never talked to meagain.”
His eyes widened. “You made it?” His voice was fullofawe.
I dipped my head slightly. “When I was back in Florida. My grandma and I spent some timecrafting.”
“You made itforme?”
Ishrugged.
“That means you were thinking about me while youweregone.”
“Yes.”
“And you were planning oncomingback.”
I nodded. “Julian, I was scared and I ran. I regretted it almost immediately, but I didn’t know what to do. Once I was there, I needed to get some things taken care of with my mom’s stuff. After that was Thanksgiving and I decided to spend it with my grandparents.” His eyes never left mine as I explained. “But, yeah. I planned oncomingback.”
“Why didn’t you call then? Or text? Gwen was soworried.”
“Idon’tknow.”
“I want to try again, Katie. But I need to know you’re goingtostay.”
I bit my lip knowing I was going to back to Florida forChristmas.
“Are you kidding me? You’re notstaying?”
