Page 113 of Faking Forever 1
Josh exhales, looking at the door, then takes my hand into his, squeezing it for comfort. Together, we put our clothes on and exited the falling-apart structure, hand in hand.
All of our parents were waiting outside of the greenhouse.
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Josh’s dad was red in the face—my mom was so puffy-eyed.
She looked like she had an allergic reaction, and my dad had nothing to say. He wasn’t gritting on Josh, for once, though.
I’m going to go ahead and count that as progress.
It must’ve been horrifying for our parents to go all night without them having any idea where we are. I neglected even to ask where Josh’s car was—it hadn’t dawned on me until now. It probably got smashed right with mine unless he’s a lot luckier than I am. At least I don’t have to worry about breaking down on every parkway and highway in Jersey now.
I find that somehow more embarrassing than not owning a vehicle at all.
I wasn’t excited to hear the lecture from my mom, which would last about ten minutes, and then the one from my dad, which was another twenty. It wasn’t my brightest hour—I can’t argue with that atall. But after enduring everything we did last night, we each learned every valuable lesson that could be engraved in us. I don’t think I’ll ever want to go out in the rain again. Not for the longest time that possibly can.
Hurricanes and heartbreak were not on my summer bucket list. That’s punishment all by itself.
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promises
JOSHUA
It was a devastating blow, looking at the entire shop lay flat on the beach while the greenhouse now stands alone. Years of my dad’s hard work and well-earned adjustments were all down the drain. Since I was the age of five, I’ve spent pretty much everyday being at the shop with my dad. Seeing Stillman’s crushed into nothing is now on my list of unbearable deep cuts.
It wasn’t in me to break down after running for my life for hours the night prior, but I think my pop cried enough for the both of us. I listened to him weep in his office for some time before leaving him be when we got home. As for me, laying in the bed with closed eyes is all my body was good for now.
Within that, I wanted complete silence, with no interruptions.
The fact that the greenhouse stood its ground through any of that says I worked my ass off. It also says that it’s even more special than it was before. We had our first time there, and somehow, I can’t wrap my mind around it. It wasn’t as 274
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romantic as I would’ve wanted it to be, but it wasnewand exciting. She was everything I knew she would be. Since we never really got to discuss it, I’m wondering now if she enjoyed any of it the way I did. Based on her reactions, I’m going to guess yes, but women are great at lying during sex. If it wasn’t obvious, my mind is running circles around the topic because I think I’m more in love than I ever have been.
As exhausted as I felt, I still had so much to think about with very little time to think about it. Spending the summer focused on my personal life, I’d forgotten all about my path and where I wanted to go. I need to do it as quickly as possible and stop procrastinating. I’m not going to say I’m second-guessing anything, but with everything that’s just happened, I’m almost scared to leave him here alone. I would rather not be away from home, trying to excel while also receiving phone calls from home that will make me more anxious than just thinking about it.
Taking my mind away from the topic, I have something to look forward to on Paisley’s twentieth birthday.
I’ve had some ideas about what I want to give her for quite a while. Recently, I’ve had a change of heart since our relationship is much different now. The greenhouse activities are just confirmation. I don’t want to give her something lousy like a T-shirt or anything else as simple as that. With the way I feel—with her being as far as she will from me—I’m on the hunt for something with more depth. Somebody can say a lot without words, and somebody can say even more can be said with sentimental objects. All this to say, I think I’ll be paying myself a visit to the jeweler to buy a promise ring.
I am madly and deeply sure about it. I’m sure about where I will see her and me in the future, and my heart says it has 275
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always been her. I’m not planning on overwhelming her with every single thought I have, but I know she values my efforts enough to be enthralled with a night for only us two. It’ll be okay if I convince my dad to let me borrow his boat and swing Beau into helping set up a few things. Beau has nothing else planned for that day, so getting him to say yes will be easier than usual.
After laying in bed for so long, I figured it would be ideal to get up, shower, and groom myself before facing any weird reporters or interviewers I’d run into in the morning on my way into town. I push myself up from the soft comforter beneath me, listening to the crickets outside. The only light was from my window, shining from outside. It was enough to guide my hand to my nightstand lamp and click it on, illuminating the room. Standing up from my bed, I shuffle past my window, glancing out as my shuffles halt.
In Paisley’s room, I could see her pacing back and forth, looking for clothes and packing different things in a large suitcase. She was examining everything tediously and putting different articles up to her body. My lips tighten into a side smile that strains my cheek as I open my curtain a little more.
I forget how accessible we’ve always been to each other.
