Page 98 of It's a Date (Again)

“You found this penny on campus our freshman year of college and handed it to me right before I had to take a final exam, one I was sure I was going to fail. You said it was all the luck I needed, and I’ve carried it around ever since. But I don’t need it anymore.” His gaze meets mine. “Because I have you.”

The memory comes rushing back, playing out before me like a movie. I can’t believe he kept it all this time.

“But you failed that exam,” I say through laughter and tears.

“Well, it’s not a magic penny.” He laughs.

I stare into his blue eyes, never wanting to look away. His gaze intensifies, and his face turns serious. This time we don’t let anything stand in our way. He closes the distance, unzipping my jacket and pushing it off my shoulders. It slides down my arms and falls to the floor. My hands run over his chest and shoulders, wanting to touch every part of him, making up for all the time I could have spent loving him. Hisarms wrap around me, pulling me into him. My charm bracelet jingles as I slide my hands around the back of his neck. We stumble and giggle, shuffling a couple of steps into his apartment—the kitchen, to be exact.

Finally, his lips meet mine. It’s where they should have been all along. His kiss is warm and passionate and explosive, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It makes the world around us fade away, the big bang of our lifetime.

It’s electric.

No, it’s better than that.

It’s magic.

CHAPTER21

Two months later

“Almost ready to go?” Robbie calls out from the living room.

Well, actually,ourliving room, as of last week. I spritz perfume on my neck and give myself a once-over in the mirror. I smile at the girl staring back at me because I know who she is now. She’s the reflection of the life I’ve lived, the people I’ve loved, and the memories I’ve carried with me. She’s my mother and my father. She’s my friends and my foes. She’s my failures and my successes. I may not remember everything about her, but I don’t need to in order to know who she is. Nearly all my memories have come back. They didn’t pop into my head all at once. Unfortunately, that only happens in the movies. They’ve returned a few at a time, like pages of a diary sent through in the mail. I feel as though I’ve lived my life all over again the last two months, remembering and savoring each morsel of it, both the good and the bad.

I clasp the charm bracelet around my wrist and straighten it out. The coins jingle against one another. Hearing it brings me back to the first time Robbie and I kissed. My body immediately reacts to the sound. Goose bumps cover my skin, and my heart races like I’m right back in that kitchen. It’s a memory not even amnesia could take away from me. I’ll always remember that night because it lives in my heart.

Robbie’s arms wrap around me. They feel like home. He leaves warm kisses on my skin as he nuzzles my neck.

“We’re going to be late,” he whispers.

“I mean, if we’re going to be late anyway, we may as well be really late.” I turn to face him. My eyes flick from him to the bed, and I give him a devilish grin.

Robbie follows my gaze and smiles. “You’re bad.”

“Only because you’re so good.”

He leans in and presses his lips against mine, pulling me into him. Our bodies melt into one another as we kiss and undress and tumble onto the mattress.

It’s a half hour later when we arrive. Robbie holds my hand as we walk up the steps of the porch, careful not to slip on ice or snow. I remember the night I had to practically carry him up these stairs. He was too drunk to stand, and I almost didn’t get him home. I smile at the memory.

“What’s got you smiling?” Robbie asks, glancing over at me.

“Nothing.” I laugh. “You wouldn’t remember anyway.”

He squeezes my hand and smiles. “Think we’re the last ones here?”

“Definitely not. Maya’s always running fifteen minutes late,” I say.

At the door, I don’t knock because it’s home.

“Hello,” Robbie and I call out as we step into Debbie’s house.

We pull off our jackets and kick off our shoes.

“It smells amazing,” Robbie says.

“Yeah, it does. It smells familiar actually, but I can’t place it.”

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