Page 75 of Strong Side
“Yeah, I know all of that. I just hate that my girl is collateral damage from it. I need her to be okay, Char. It’s killing me.” I drop her hand and cover my eyes with my palms.
“Urgh, Case.” She takes hold of my wrists. “I hate this. It hurts me to see you like this. You know she loves you though. She really does. And you have to remember that she’s doing this for herself—to heal, to purge all the messages he put into her head. She’s doing it for you too. You are her future, and she wants to be the best version of herself.”
“I hope so. I just can’t imagine any kind of life without her. She’s everything to me.” I drop my hands and tilt my head back, seeing a million stars in the sky.
“Casey, she’ll come back to you. Be patient with her a little longer, okay?” She wraps her arms around my waist.
I hug her back, feeling the first bit of comfort since Noelle left my house that day. “I’m trying to be.”
“You got this, little brother. I love you to death, and I want you to be as happy as I am. And I really believe you will get everything you want. She’ll be back.” She pulls away just enough to see my face. “Now let’s go do some shots with our friends.”
I chuckle and roll my eyes. “I don’t know about shots. Give me a second, and I’ll be in.”
She nods and squeezes my arm as she goes back into the tent.
I stand there for a minute, looking back up at the sky. A star shoots across the sky, and I’m gonna take that as my sign that everything is going to be okay.
Pulling out my phone, I step away from the tent and turn my camera to get as much as I can in. The hills, the glow from the lights of the party, and the big sky fill the frame. I snap it and text it to Noelle. I don’t text anything other than the photo. Not expecting a reply, I pocket my phone again.
“Let’s go, Case. Get in here.” Beck pops his head out of the tent opening. “We’re doing one more round before they take off.”
“I’m coming.”
A spin on my heel, I walk back into the tent, but before I go in, I feel my phone buzz. When I pull it out, there’s no message, but she did heart my photo. That little thing just gave me hope that we’re almost there. One step closer to getting my girl back.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
NOELLE
Best friend.It’s a term we use loosely in our day-to-day lives. It’s the person you hang out with the most. The one who is in close proximity. A classmate, a coworker, a family member. I know girls who have ten best friends. Guys who claim everyone on their team is their best friend. For me, I’ve always had a lot of friends, but only one has ever been like Casey King.
From the day I met him, Casey and I just clicked. Our jokes in sync, our interests appealing to the other, and we always had fun. When the heavy started to take hold years later—family fights, our first breakups (mine to Cade in eighth grade, his to Kayla our freshman year of high school), basic teenage angst and drama—we always ran to each other. That person you can count on, no matter what. Who can be honest when you want a lie, but deserve the truth. Who will cancel his plans on a Friday night to stay in with you because you had a fight with your boyfriend. The girl who changed her plans to watch all your football games whether she was in the stands or not.
The last few months apart from Casey have been harder than I thought they’d be. Pulling away was an impulse reaction towhat had happened with Trey at the baseball park, but a strong one. It was something I knew I had to do. Not only for myself, but in order to have a healthy relationship with Casey.
I’ve always loved Casey. Deep down in my bones, Ilovehim. Despite that internal voice knowing he was the perfect choice for me, I never felt that it was worth risking our friendship over.
While this time apart has been tragically difficult, at the same time, I feel like I’m making really good progress. So good that my therapist thinks that it would be beneficial for me to spend time with Casey.
Thank God.
I want to do this the right way. I want him to understand what I’ve been working on, and I also want him to know how much it means to me that he’s been so patient.
After classes ended, I stayed in my apartment to finish some of the intensive therapy sessions, but now I’m down to once a week, and I drive from my parents’ house back to Walker for those appointments. The boating season is upon us, and my family needs my help at the marina. They’ve also been supportive, so I feel like I really need to be there for them too. Besides, I love being at the lake.
So, with Charlie and Beck’s help, I’m surprising Casey. It’s been so hard not to call him once my therapist made the suggestion to spend time with him again and even harder not driving over there and jumping his bones. I’ve missed him in more ways than I can count.
I’m not really sure what they’ve told him or how they got him here, but they’re on their way. I’m waiting for him on our little patch of island we claimed years ago. It feels like the perfect place for us to come back together.
My patience is running out though, so I’m hoping they show up soon. Every boat that passes makes me jump. And I can’t see the dock from here, so I have no idea when they’ll get here.
I don’t know many men who would put up with their girlfriend ghosting them the way I did. Part of me wonders if he changed his mind in our time apart.
Not able to sit still, I walk over to the blanket I laid out on a small patch of sand tucked into the trees. I check the basket of food for probably the thousandth time. The sun will be setting soon, too, so I make sure the little LED candles I brought with me are flickering.
Yes, I’m trying to give him the same kind of treatment he’s given to me. It’s about time I showed him how special he is.
