Page 56 of Bull Riders Don't Swoon

“This is the colour of that vile medicine you made me drink when I had strep throat second year.”

“Youhadto drink that! I didn’tmakeyou!”

“If you didn’t come over every six hours to make sure I took it, I probably wouldn’t have. So yeah, youmademe.”

I work my way through the balloons in order, like he said to, and realize the notes are chronological. Each one is a memory of me or us since we’ve been friends. Some are funny and some are factual, but once I reach the ones after graduation, the notes take on more feeling.

“The day we fought about Homewrecker, I snapped at you because I was jealous you were helping other bull riders. I was afraid I was losing you.”

That one has me huffing a breath, and I look at Jamieson. “Jealous? Really?”

“It was the first time I’d seen you speaking to another bull rider more than me about the bulls. I thought I was just being oversensitive or what not, but I think it was then I realized you meant more to me and I didn’t know what to do with that.”

I’m almost afraid to read the final three balloons, but I also want to know what else he has to share.

“Why the balloons?”

“Oh. Heh…” Jamieson smiles and the dimple pops on his right cheek, making him look like he’s a teenager again. “That doesn’t really have any great meaning. I just thought it would be fun because who doesn’t like balloons?”

“Nobody has ever given me balloons before.”

“Wait until you see the last one, then.”

“So mysterious.”

Balloon eight.

“You’re the only one who calls me Jamie, and the first time you did, it felt like I was special. More than your friend.”

Reaching for balloon nine, I pull the note off and immediately feel my eyes water.

“I wish I had stayed with you during spring break. I hate that you were alone.”

He passes me balloon ten.

“One night when you were on a date, I got drunk because I missed you.”

Balloon eleven gets passed to me as he wipes a tear off my cheek.

“I’ve laid awake thinking of you every night since you kissed me. Even when I held you, I couldn’t stop thinking of you.”

“If your intention was to make me cry, mission accomplished.” I sniffle as I place all the notes on the table and turn to him.

“Tears of joy, though, right?”

“Yeah, definitely.”

“Phew, good. There’s one more, and I hope you don’t hate me for it.”

“I could never hate you,” I whisper and hold his gaze. He smiles softly and runs his knuckles down my cheek.

“I’m holding you to that,” he whispers hoarsely. “You don’t know what I did yet.” He wraps an arm around my waist and leads me to my bedroom. The door is closed, which I never do. Jamieson puts himself between me and the door, and I notice the worry flitting across his handsome features.

“I think I can confidently say nothing you do will make me hate you. You filled my apartment with balloons and love notes, Jamie. That’s not a bad thing.”

“Well, here goes.” He opens the door to my bedroom, and a large paper sun is hanging from the ceiling. It’s clearly homemade, and that just makes my chest ache in new ways. A small kiddie pool filled with sand is on the floor next to my bed, and seashells cover every surface of my room. They’re on my dresser and nightstand, there are stickers on the wall of sea creatures and more shells.

Then I hear it. Over the roaring of blood in my ears, a soundtrack of crashing waves is playing. Jamie’s arms circle me from behind, and he rests his chin on my shoulder.

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