Page 45 of Come Back to Me

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I heard you correctly. Are you accusing me of being on Instagram too much?”

“Maybe.” I look down at the floor, smiling.

She chuckles. “Oh, I’m not denying it. It’s hard not to be on there all the time since it’s how I make some of my living. Thereare a lot of bells and whistles I didn’t know I’d have to maneuver through when I first started.”

“How many bells and whistles are we talking about here?”

“How much time do you have?”

“I have all the time in the world, Angel.”

Her lips curve up into a beautiful smile as she tries to hide her rosy cheeks.

“Did you find the post yet?”

“Hold on a second…” She taps on a post, hiding the screen from me. “I found it.”

She shifts closer to me, and it feels like I’ve been transported back to when we were teenagers. She still smells like vanilla orchid, grapefruit, and pink peppercorn.

She taps on the post, and it becomes bigger, filling up the entire screen.

I remember how Violet would always take her photos on her white bedspread because it fit the aesthetic she wanted. Pink was her favorite color. I’d like to think it still is, but I have no idea.

There are multiple photos in a carousel type of post. The first one contains the book, book tabs, highlighters, random hot pink hair clips, and light pink bows. The rest of the photos are some of the annotations I made.

“I’m surprised you kept this up.”

“I know I told you when I look at the book it makes me sad, but it also makes me happy. It takes me back to a time in my life where I was the happiest. And it’s because I was with you.”

I scroll down to the caption she wrote and read it to myself.

happy sweet sixteen to me! my sweet boyfriend annotatedignite meby tahareh mafi for me.

i told him to not get me anything, but he didn’t listen to me. i’m so glad he didn’t because this is the best present anybody has ever gotten me. if you know me, you know this book is my favorite romance book. that’s why i talk about it so much on here.

gray, if you’re reading this right now, i love you.

Swiping out of Instagram, I turn off my phone and throw it next to me.

“Is everything okay?” Violet’s icy blue eyes drill a hole into the side of my head.

No, everything is not okay.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” She crosses her arms in front of her breasts.

“Mm-hm.”

“Okay. Let’s talk about something else. Tell me more about being Captain of the SCU basketball team.”

“That’s an interesting pivot there.”

“I know it was abrupt, but one of your dreams came true. You’ve been wanting to be a Sunset Cove University Stingray for a long time. Well, for as long as I’ve known you. I’m really proud of you.” She places her hand on my thigh, looking deep into my eyes.

“Thanks. I had to work my way up the ranks. I became Team Captain during my junior year. I’ve discovered it’s not easy managing a team of horny, dumbass guys.”

“Oh, I can imagine. Are you studying sports management or something?”