Page 22 of The Right Time

And though I wanted him to kiss me a hundred more times, I found out he was right. It wasn’t our time.

Until now.

Chapter Fifteen

Lucas

“You’re such an ass, dude.” Trent chuckles as he enters the guest bedroom where he’s staying. I’m sitting on his bed, and his suitcase is opened wide on the floor, half his clothes from the dresser dumped into it. Another handful of his clothes balled up tight in my fist hovering over the case. I let them fall, most of them missing the case and landing on the rug.

“And you’re supposed to be my friend,” I return, the words coming out harsher than intended. She kissed him. She… kissed… him.

“I am,” he says, kicking the suitcase in my direction. “Don’t blame me if she only needed to spend an hour with me to realize she had overestimated your charm all these years.”

I know he’s joking, yet the words sting. He steps around the suitcase and plops onto the twin bed next to me. Too close.

I shove him hard, and he rolls in laughter, rocking off the edge of the bed and falling to the floor.

“Dude, take it easy.” He laughs through a snort. “Play nice, and I might give you the message Adrienne sent for you.”

A chill races through me, and I pop to my feet. “What? What did she say?” I can’t believe I fall for the bait. I’ve never in my life had to ask another person what Adrienne thought. We shared everything. But I’ve been gone for too long. How many other boys has she kissed while I’ve been away?

“If you could only see your face.” Trent’s chuckle fades away as he reads my face. He wraps his arm around his knees and blows out a breath. “I could joke with you all night, but I can see you aren’t in the mood.” He pushes up from the floor and stands two feet in front of me, his eyes filled with compassion. “She wants you.”

It’s not the words that hit me hard in the chest, but the way Trent says them. Words I know he’s wished to hear from his parents. “She’s special.” He doubles down, these words not as difficult to hear.

“I know.” I don’t hesitate. “She’s always been.” I state it as a fact because it is.

“When was the last time you told her?”

I think back to our reunion in the tent last night. I think of every trip home over the last five years. She’s always the first person on my to-do list. We don’t have to say what we think of each other with words; we do it with actions. Time together is our love language. “She knows.”

“Does she?” He pushes his hands into his back pockets, his head tilted in disbelief. “Then why did she give me a secret-coded message for you?”

My heart skips a beat. I know Adrienne like I know the back of my hand. I’ve held my breath for six years, waiting for this message to be delivered, never once imagining it would occur like this.

“She said to tell you…”

My lips move in synch with Trent’s words.

“Seven-minute future.”

A snicker escapes my mouth as I shake my head. My hand forms a fist and rises to my mouth. I lose the ability to speak, emotions catching up to me. I close my eyes and push back tears. Three paltry words clear all the barricades in front of me. The rest of my life. The thought hits me, and this time, I don’t feel any trepidation, only joy.

I feel Trent’s hand wrap around my shoulder. “Go. She’s waiting for you.”

My eyes open, and I blink away the tears. “In a second. I have to do something first.” I whip out my phone and scroll.

The time has come.

Chapter Sixteen

Adrienne

By most accounts, I’m a very patient woman.

But not tonight.

I’ve been counting the seconds since I sent Trent to Lucas with the message. I raced up the stairs, took the fastest shower in history, and slipped on a silk camisole and the cutoff jean shorts Lucas can’t stop staring at.

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