Page 106 of Never Have I Ever

I slide my hand under my shirt and rub over it. It’s not raised. I just like it there. Which is why I take offense. “What does that mean?”

“I know our tattoo doesn’t symbolize the brokenhearted, so remind me why we chose the star and yellow rose design again?”

Pushing off the couch, I reply, “We were drunk in Texas, baby. I chose it for the Lone Star State, and you chose it for the state flower.” I kiss her and then straighten that ugly-ass hat on my beautiful girlfriend.

“I’m positive I didn’t know that was the state flower. I’m a New Yorker, after all.”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time.” I open the door for her.

Despite the origins of the design, I see her tap the art twice on the outside of her leggings. She once said it was her good luck charm because it brought us back together against the odds.

I just think it’s sexy as fuck on her. I grab the card I woke up early to fill out. It took me longer than I thought it would to say the things I thought needed to be in there. I think I covered everything. “Ready?”

“Dreading it.”

Me too.

“This is sad.”

I grin and dip down to kiss her neck once more. “Saddest day ever.” It doesn’t rank up there in the scheme of the hell we’ve been through, but I still hate leaving her. And knowing I won’t see her for days isn’t helping me with my mood.

“I’ll see you in Phoenix, though.”

Holding her face in my hands, I stare at the flecks of colors in her eyes. The greens that always held her innocence, the browns that blurred the lines. The gold that gave me hope that we would survive anything thrown our way. She’s an angel brought to save me, and I will never take that for granted. “Ninety-four hours.”

“You’re counting the hours?”

“Every one of them until you’re back in my arms.”

Dropping her head to my shoulder, she holds me, making me realize time and distance, memories, and the different paths we took never mattered. We would always find our way back together. When she pulls back, she’s gripping my shirt and lifts on the toe of her shoes to look into my eyes. “If this meeting with the agent ends before noon, I’m catching an earlier flight.”

“I’ll fly you private if it gets you to me faster.”

I kiss her one last time and then slip the card from my back pocket. Handing it to her, I say, “I wanted you to always know how I feel about you.”

“I do, Laird.” Taking my hand, she unfurls my fingers and kisses my palm. Pressing it to her cheek, she whispers, “I don’t need a card to remind me.”

“Just in case.” I still have some work to do on my own fears. “You never know where life takes you.”

“Apparently, it takes me to you every time.” She winks and, with a smile that calms my raging seas, I’m once again a believer in destiny.

“Not sure this was a good idea.” I sit up on my board with my legs dangling in the water. Paddling out set my muscles on fire, especially in my shoulder. Probably not wise since I’m going to be performing for the next two months. I could also be out of shape from spending the past five weeks recovering. Though I’m certain what Poppy and I consider “recovering” was not a part of doctor’s orders.

Spending time with my dad is worth it.

He runs his hand over his head to shake the water out of his hair and looks at me. “You’re out here, so you might as well catch a wave back to shore.”

The setting sun puts on a show for us. I’ve always found peace in myself and in my place in the universe when in the water. Now I find it in Poppy. I grin, thinking no pressure.

I stare ahead as the ocean rolls in, but the waves peter out before reaching us. “It’s going to be dark before we make it back in.” It’s never good to be in these waters come evening and night.

“Patience.”

The wetsuit compresses my shoulder muscles, the water cooling it down. The pain is gone as I’m starting to ease into old times, being Zen with the ocean helping to clear the clutter from my mind.

A few minutes pass, and my dad glances over. “What do you think?”

“Patience,” I joke.

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