Page 95 of Always You

But being friends is a lot harder when we’re both on the other side of the country, living completely different lives.

“Why don’t you visit him?”

I snap my head toward Julie. “I don’t know?”

Probably because I’m a scared little girl, not very keen on setting myself up for rejection? I wasn’t the popular girl in high school, barely fitting in, but it wasn’t awful. I was too busy to worry about anything other than schoolwork anyway. But going to LA? It feels like throwing me in the creek before I learned how to swim.

Spending time with Hunter there will be different, and I’m not sure it’s a good difference. He might be my friend, but I’m prettysure he knows how to swim in the great ocean that’s called California.

What if he doesn’t want to keep me afloat while I’m there?

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head.

“There’s no reason not to? I mean, not anymore. Your mama has been doing pretty good all summer. I’m sure she won’t mind if you go to LA for a couple of days. You still have two weeks before classes start.”

How she’s putting it, it seems like a simple thing to do, and yeah, I’ve thought about it. But I don’t dare to voice it to Hunter, not sure how he’d react.

“Whatever insecure thoughts are running through your mind right now, stop it.” She scowls, and I purse my lips with guilt dripping from my chin. “He’s gonna wanna see you, too. You know this. Just book a ticket, and go see him for the weekend.”

“I don’t know, Julie. What if he doesn’t want me there? What if he’s busy all weekend?”

“Then you spend time with Jason. We sure as fuck know he’s not doing anything other than playing Hunter’s wingman,” she mutters, with a frustrated glint drifting around her brown eyes. “Either way, just go. Before you know it, classes will start, and you’ll have no time to visit anymore.”

I keep staring at her, as I’m letting her words run through my hesitant mind while my heart jumps for joy at the idea.

“Stop thinking about it, Charlie. In fact, we’re putting you on a plane tomorrow.”

She grabs her phone off the table and starts tapping the screen like a madwoman.

“What are you doing? I have to ask Hunter first!”

“No, you don’t. Delta has a flight tomorrow at noon. I say perfect.”

“Julie.”

“What?” She gives me a daring look, bringing up a finger. “You have two options. Either you let go of him, stop sulking, and start living your life, like he is. Or you find out if the two of you are still the same and go to LA. Your call, Charlie.” She presses her lips together in a thin line, doing her best to keep a straight face, trying to let me decide what I’m going to do. There’s fire in her eyes, challenging me to back out.

If she puts it like that.

“Fine,” I huff. “Book it.”

33

Iwas petrified.

I was petrified to tell him I was coming, and I’m petrified now, walking out of LAX airport, waiting to meet his gorgeous face. It’s ridiculous because I’ve spent my entire senior year with him, but my heart keeps pounding in my chest, stopping for a second when my eyes finally lock with his.

He looks the same, yet totally different. His arms have buffed up even more, stretching his tattoos in a breathtaking way, peeking out from under his black t-shirt. The California sun has given him a tan that makes his hazel eyes pop from under his backwards snapback with an intensity that heats my core within a split second.

Why does he have to be so fucking hot?

I swallow hard, wondering how he’s going to react. Rapidly blinking, I wait until a ghost of a smile expands to a full, devastating smirk, and I take that as my cue to drop my shit and run toward him, launching myself against his body.

I wrap my legs around his waist, holding my arms tight around his shoulders as I bury my nose in his neck, breathing in his woodsy cologne. His nose snuggles in my hair, his scorching lips finding the skin on my neck to plant a lingering kiss on the spot underneath my ear.

“God, I missed you, babe,” he breathes, his mouth flush with my ear.

His arms are locked around my body, and he tightens his grip, tugging me even closer as I lean back to cup his face.

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