Page 133 of Any Second Now
“Any second now, I was just thinking,” Kellen says as I settle in a comfortable seat facing him, a table between us. “What are you gonna do?”
What am I going to do? I’ve got a couple hours on the plane to come up with a plan. We’ll arrive too late to see Raleigh tonight, but in the morning, I intend on showing up at the Pink Palace.
“I guess I’m going to go and tell her I love her.” Why does that thought simultaneously make me so happy but also make me want to vomit and then hide under a rock somewhere?
“Good for you.” Kellen nods and assesses me for a moment. “But you need a bit more than that.”
He’s right. I can’t just show up at her door. I need to come up with some way to win her over. Because I don’t just want to tell her I love her.
I want to convince her to stay with me in Fort Collins, when she’s already made it crystal clear she intends to go back to Connecticut.
CHAPTER 29
My Boyfriend Works Out
RALEIGH
Saturday, August 2
“I’m sorry to hear your grandmother’s so sick.” I’m lying in bed, my eyes tracing the scuffed ceiling of my bedroom in the Pink Palace. The cross-stitch project I was working on late last night and as soon as I woke up an hour ago lays next to me.
“Thanks. Apparently, they think it’ll happen soon.” January’s voice is steady, but I know she was close to her grandmother when she was growing up. Not so much as an adult.
“Are you going to come home?”
“Probably.” January’s family lives in Rhode Island. As far as I know, she hasn’t been back there in years. When she occasionally sees her parents, they meet her in Boston. She’s never said much about them. Only that when she left for college in Virginia and then moved to Europe, they drifted apart. She definitely talked about her grandmother.
“Well, let me know. Maybe we can see each other.” I sniff. “It’s not fair you and Lucy had all that time together in England.”
“We missed you for sure,” January says, not commenting anyfurther about her family. “But can we talk more about what you’ve been doing this summer? Orwhoyou’ve been doing?”
“Nope, we sure can’t.” Because it’s all I’ve been thinking about, and I’m not sure I can handle vocalizing all of that.
“Raleigh.” January chuckles, and while she still sounds strained, it’s nice to hear her laugh. “You’re not even going to say goodbye to him? Get one last kiss?”
“Hush. No, I’m not going to see him before I leave, which should be on Monday, as long as I can close the deal on the RV later.” I stand and straighten up my bed.
Obviously I’m not going to see him. I’m not waiting around to have another painful conversation about how we can’t be together. Why would I do that?
But something shifted in me last night when I was talking to Lucy and her friends. The stupid Scottish love story actually made me wonder if there was a way. Maybe I am the one who created the rules that are making me unhappy.
But I texted Atticus. I probably shouldn’t have. He read it but didn’t respond.
‘Raleigh.” January groans and I sink back down on the bed.
“What?”
“This is such a huge deal that you finally hooked up with Atticus.”
“Finally?” I mean, okay, she’s right that it’s a big deal. And in my head, yeah, I guess it’s been a long time coming.
“Lucy and I have been predicting it since he showed up at JMU.”
“Seriously?” I can’t seem to manage more than one-word answers.
“Um, yes? The way you two flirted back then was ridiculous. I can’t believe it never happened, boyfriend or not.”
“Well, it didn’t.”
