Page 84 of More To Us

Chapter Sixteen

Kira

After Austin dropped me off, I ate my burger and fries, then took a really long shower. I was covered in sweat and dirt. I must be comfortable with Austin because I didn't even care that he saw me like that. I was more concerned with helping those old people.

It wasn't how I thought we'd spend our afternoon, but it needed to be done. Harold would probably be in the hospital right now if Austin hadn't stopped to help. When he pulled the truck over, I didn't know what he was doing until I saw him kneeling by the old man.

It showed me a whole other side of Austin. I don't know many guys his age who would stop to help someone like that, and then stay there for hours, working for free.

Amber knocks on the bathroom door. "You almost done in there?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't know you were home."

"I just got back from the store. I bought one of those dinners you told me about but I actually have to cook the meat."

She's making Matt dinner tonight. I totally forgot. I need to get out of here so she can get ready.

I shut the shower off. "I'll be just a minute."

"No rush. I have to figure out how to cook this meat. I'll be in the kitchen."

I towel off and go in my room and get dressed. Then I go in the kitchen, where every pot and pan we own is sitting out on the counter.

"Need some help?" I ask as I watch her read the label on the meat. It looks like two steaks in a vacuum-sealed package.

She sets them down. "I think I figured it out."

I look over at the kitchen table, which is covered in a white tablecloth and topped with two white candles and a card with the menu written on it.

"Wow, you even wrote out the menu."

She laughs. "I figured I'd go all out as long as I'm making dinner."

I pick up the menu, which is written on a piece of thick, white card stock. It's written in calligraphy, that fancy handwriting with all the loopy letters. "I didn't know you could write like this."

"I taught myself last year but I never use it."

"Then why'd you want to learn?"

"Because it's beautiful." She takes the card from me. "Just look at the L." She points to it. "And the S." She runs her hand over it. "Can you imagine getting a letter written like this?"

"Nobody writes letters anymore."

"I know. But they should. People need to start writing letters again."

Amber loves letters, or the idea of them. She's never actually received one, but she likes the idea of someone taking the time to write down their thoughts, especially a guy. If a guy ever wrote her a love letter, she'd probably marry him on the spot. She used to tell me that if she ever met her soulmate she'd write him a letter, and if he wrote her back, it would confirm they're meant to be with each other. It's completely crazy, and I told her that, but she's a hopeless romantic so she still believes it could happen if she met the right person. That person obviously isn't Matt, because as far as I know, she's never written him a letter.

She sets the menu back on the table and looks me up and down. "You're not wearing that tonight, are you?"

I have on shorts and a t-shirt. "No, but what do you think I should wear?"

"Let's go find something." She grabs my arm, dragging me to my room. I wait on my bed as she searches through my closet. "You only have jeans. Don't you have any dresses?"

"No. Why would I need dresses to go to college? And why can't I wear jeans tonight?"

She sighs and turns around. "You're dating Austin Wheeler. Other girls are going to tear you apart if you don't look good. They're all going to be watching you tonight, trying to figure out why he's dating you and not them."

I roll my eyes. "I really don't care."

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