Page 56 of In All My Dreams

She’s beautiful.

How could I have stayed away for so long when she smiles at me like I hung the damn moon for her?

“Hi,” I choke out right before she throws herself at me and wraps her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.

“Oh my God, Ian! I can’t believe you’re here! I never thought you’d come find me,” she says, hugging me tighter to her. “But you finally found me.”

I hug her back, hoping I can transfer every thought and feeling through osmosis. God, I missed her so much. The lavender and vanilla scent that has always seemed to cling to her skin, the way her body fits perfectly with mine, the feeling of her pressed up against me like this...

My eyes widen as I realize that Georgia can probably feeleverythingright now, and I pull away slowly. She looks up at me with those gorgeous stormy gray eyes of hers filled with tears. I reach up and wipe them away softly before I lean in and place a gentle kiss against her lips.

Kissing her is like muscle memory; I can’t seem to stop myself from doing it.

“I’ve missed you so much, Georgie.”

She scoffs loudly and rolls her eyes, almost as if nothing has changed between us in the last four years. “I’ve missed you more.”

Before I can lean in for another kiss, someone behind me clears their throat loudly.

I turn and see a man around our age staring back at us with an apologetic expression on his face. He’s holding a bag of take-out food in his hand.

“Matty!” Georgia says, clearly expecting this man. “I’m so sorry! I was heading down to the lobby to grab the food, but my friend surprised me at the door.” She releases me and steps around me to grab the bag from Matty, then reaches into her back pocket and pulls out cash and hands it to him. “Thank you again for bringing it up. Next time, I promise to meet you in the lobby. Please, keep the change, Matty.”

Matty smiles at her fondly before looking over at me and eyeing me up and down. “A friend, you say?”

Georgia laughs loudly, the sound echoing down the empty hallway. “Yes, Matty. This is Ian, and he’s my dearest, closest friend in the world. No need to fight him off...yet.” She turns back and winks at me.

Matty’s glacial eyes nearly bore holes into my body before he turns his gaze back to Georgia. The death glare must be reserved for me only because he looks at Georgia like he might be in lovewith her, too. “All right, Georgia. I’ll see you in class. You two have fun,” he says before finally taking his leave.

“Come on; let’s go eat the best damn eggrolls you’ve ever had in your life.” Georgia grabs my hand and pulls me into her apartment, closing the mustard-yellow door behind us.

I’ve spent countless days, endless hours, with Georgia throughout my life, and never once has it felt more natural than it does tonight. We’ve spent the last few hours eating, laughing, and catching up on everything we’ve missed over the last four years.

We are stillus, and I didn’t realize how nervous it made me to think we wouldn’t be the same after being apart for so long.

It’s like the last four years apart never happened, and we’ve just picked right back up where we left off.

We’ve never put a label on us; we’ve never needed to.

She is mine, and I will always be her’s.

We are lying together in her bed, and she’s wrapped in my arms with her head against my chest. We’ve spent our whole lives cuddled up in similar positions, albeit in amuchsmaller bed, but tonight, there’s a sort of electric buzz in the air between us.

Something feels intimately different this time.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Georgia says quietly. “I know I’ve said it, like, a hundred times today, but I really can’t believe you finally left Crane.”

I stroke her back in lazy waves. “I never thought I’d leave,” I admit. “But I felt like I was missing a piece of me every time I walked into the manor and you weren’t there to greet me. I missed seeing you swinging your legs on the barstools while you ate something you especially liked.” I kiss the top of her head softly, and when she looks up at me, I feel like everything I’ve been missing in my life is right here in my arms again.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss...home,” she says warily. “But I don’t miss having to look over my shoulder every time I walked the dark halls alone in that house.”

“Do you still see her?” I ask nonchalantly. I won’t force her to talk about her mother’s ghost if she doesn’t want to.

I’ve never seen Caroline’s ghost myself, but I have always believed Georgia when she told me she was being haunted by her mother. Sometimes I find myself envious. I wish I could see Irene once in a while. But then I remember the way Georgia described her mother’s spirit—the rotting flesh and blood. I’d rather not see my little sister like that.

Georgia smiles at me, a real smile. Not forced at all. A smile I’ve never seen when it comes to her mother.

“I haven’t seen her since I walked through the gates leaving Crane Manor. No more night terrors either, or sleeping spells,” she tells me, relief clear in her voice. “I told you that place was haunted.” She pinches my ribs and makes me jump in surprise. “But I don’t want to talk about Crane, or ghosts. Tonight, I just want to be with you.”

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