Page 8 of The Story We Wrote

I let out a loud laugh, tipping my head back. I held up the book and put it next to Boone’s face, “Wow, you’re kind of right.”

“What’s that one about? The few pages I skimmed didn’t give much away,” Boone poked.

Whenever someone asks me what kind of books I enjoy reading, I always get a little shy. How does one say they enjoy reading smutty cowboy romance? I guess I could tell Boone exactly that, I doubt this man knew what smut even was.

“It’s a romance book. She’s a city girl and he’s from a small town. They end up working together on a project and, obviously, fall in love. Hence, romance book.” I say, closing the book completely. It’s dumb, I was working on being more confident in the fact I love romance. People tend to think romance is silly, but it’s exquisite literature. You’d be surprised how many ways someone can write the word “cock” or “vagina” and make it sound sensual.

“So, are you looking for your very own small town romance?” Boone asked, not in a condescending way, his tone sounded like he was genuinely interested. “Perhaps, with a cowboy of your own?”

“Maybe,” I replied back, smiling at him.

“Is that what made you stay here after high school?” Boone asked, catching me off guard. “I always thought you’d get out of here. Make a life for yourself far from Faircloud.”

“I didn’t know you paid that much attention to me, Boone Cassidy.” The sentence fell from my mouth before I could run it through my filter. It came out flirty, maybe too much for my liking. Boone scoffed to himself and shook his head, that signature flirty smirk on his lips.

“You’d be surprised, Aspen Westgrove.”

Through school I was quiet. I kept to myself. It was Penny and me against the world, all we needed was each other. The kids at school were nice to me, for the most part, and when they weren’t, I just let it happen. I never felt I needed to connect or make friends because Penny was enough. She was safe, and that’s all I really wanted at the time.

Reflecting back, I probably did want to leave at some point, but I loved this town. When I thought about my future, I pictured myself living here forever with a husband and a few kids. Faircloud was a quaint town, reminding me a lot of a Hallmark movie. The Main Street was lined with small shops that were all locally run. The buildings were historic and had their own unique charm. Sidewalks were paved with cobblestone highlighting Faircloud’s roots.

“I love the familiarity. I feel safe here, comfortable. I’m not someone to take risks or do crazy things. I’m content being cozy.” That was the truth. I didn’t do much that pushed me out of my comfort zone; however, that didn’t mean I wasn’t open to the possibility of making changes. It’s hard to explain even to my closest friends. I sometimes wanted to be a little reckless. I wanted to be carefree and experience life through a different lens, although I didn’t know where to start. I’d always been the “sweet” girl, an expectation set for me that I latched on to to please my family. I’d always wondered what it would be like to let my guard down and live more freely. I think that’s another reason I loved books I could live through the words on a page and get a glimpse of a life I sometimes envision for myself. I could wear however many hats I wanted. I could read about falling in love with a golf pro, live as a Formula 1 racer, or even ride on the back of a dragon. Books were powerful like that. Every dream could feel real if you let your imagination take over, even for a second.

Boone looked over at me for the first time in a while. There was something in his constant gaze that made me want to take it all and throw caution to the wind, to be a little reckless. Boone broke apart every wall I’d put up, one yearning stare at a time.

He must’ve sensed a change because when he stood up, he patted my leg and said, “Get dressed in something more presentable. You’re coming to the bonfire.”

With that, he trotted down the steps, hat in hand. “Oh, and Aspen?” He called, pausing on the other side of the cabin railing. I looked at him, tilting my head to the side like a puppy looking at its toy.

“I’m what you read in those books, Darling.” Boone placed his hat on his head and departed with a wink. He was unbothered, but I was left sitting there, my mouth hung open and my body on fire.

* * *

“I’m what you read in those books, Darling.”Was quite literally the only thought I had running through my head while getting ready for the bonfire.

I should’ve said no thank you to the invitation. I didn’t even know what to wear. I didn’t know any of his friends. What was wrong with me? Something about being around Boone made me want to say yes. I wanted to be a little reckless.

I went through my drawers looking for a pair of straight-cut blue jeans with little rips at the knees. I paired them with a green halter top. This was different from my typical sundress and sandals combination, but who wears a dress to a bonfire on a ranch? I tried my best to channel my inner Theo, WWTD.What would Theo do?I needed support. I picked up my phone off the bathroom counter and sent a text to our group chat.

Aspen: Please tell me why I said yes to a Boone Cassidy gathering.

Penny: Because it’s the only answer?

Theo: Ditto Penny!

Aspen: I’m completely out of my element. Are jeans and a halter top appropriate?

Theo: ABSOLUTELY. Also, it’s about time you live a little, A.

Penny: RETWEET! Don’t think too hard about it, just relax.

Theo: You got this ??

Theo changed group chat name to WWTD?

Rolling my eyes with a grin, I turned my phone over on the counter and focused on getting ready.

Did I really “have this?” It’s not like I didn’t know how to interact with people. I was a grown woman. It was time to get out of my comfort zone and start living the life I wanted to. I was always taught to play it safe and surround myself with easy people who make smart choices. I wanted to make a dumb choice. I wanted to fuck up and regret it in the morning. I was pretty sure I’d only ever been wine drunk with my two best friends in the comfort of one of our living rooms. I was twenty-five, not eighty. I didn’t know where the change in mindset was coming from. Maybe the sudden disruption in my life? The unknown can be scary sometimes.

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