Page 137 of Any Second Now
“I love that one. Simple, short, and to the point.”
“And I bet there are a ton of people who have the same three priorities.” He’s got a super serious look plastered on his face.
“There must be so many.” I cross my arms and let myself grin.
“Hundreds, at least.”
“Yup.” I nod. “Go on.”
What is happening here? He’s not here to actually give me cross-stitch ideas, is he? Or to make a video? But the other reason he’d be here is too much to dream for. Am I still tucked into my uncomfortable RV bed dreaming?
Atticus clears his throat and looks back down at his phone.
“How about:Are you a chicken? No? Go away.Or:my house is an RV.Or just:hockey.”
“You’re really good at this, did you know that? Such a good cross-stitch student.”
“Yes, I am a wonderful student in general.”
“I guess I’m not a great coach though, since you fired me.”
“It wasn’t your coaching ability that lost you the job, I can assure of that.”
“No?”
He shakes his head and raises a suggestive eyebrow. “I have one more idea.”
“Go on.” My stomach tightens and I draw in a breath, holding it while I wait for him to speak.
“FAFO, my boyfriend is a hockey player.” Atticus slides his phone back in his pocket and looks at me.
I swallow and can’t squeak out a reply.
“That might work. But maybe too niche…” My voice trails off.
I want that hoop in my house. I want to be able to say that, in stitches or in texts or out loud. More than anything.
“Raleigh.” Atticus shoves his hands in his pockets. His gaze pierces me. My heart. My soul. “I’m not just here to talk about cross-stitch. Although I have even more ideas than those, by the way.”
I swallow and nod, my chest pounding. What do I do with my hands? They feel clammy. I clench my fists at my sides and release them again. It doesn’t help.
“Then why are you here?” I whisper.
“I’m here because—” Atticus looks over his shoulder at his Wrangler, then adjusts his hat and meets my eyes again. “Since you showed up this summer. No—since New Year’s Eve. Sincecollege.”
He pauses and I flash back to New Year’s Eve. The kiss in a dark corner. The one that was supposed to get it out of our systems. I swallow and it’s like I’m choking on a bunch of chicken feathers.
“—all I could do after that kiss was think about you. It changed me.” He takes a deep breath and I remember to let out the one I was holding. “You were always the college crush I had. A thing for my older sister’s best friend. How original, right?” He cracks a tentative smile.
“Kind of the same as having a crush on your best friend’s brother,” I say and cross my arms.
A serious look falls on his face again. His hands flex at his sides.
“All winter I thought about you. All spring. And then, like freaking magic, you showed up here, in Fort Collins, in your giant pink RV.”
“What was I thinking?” I let out a breathy laugh.
“I don’t know,” Atticus says with a wondrous look. “What were you thinking?”
