Page 67 of This Thing Between Us

Then I started to unravel. The weight of it all became too much. The loss of him. Like a robbery. I had robbed us of our friendship. Of something more.

I gasped for air as we turned onto Jack’s street. Clawing at my coat, I scrambled to remove the garment that suddenly felt suffocating.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked as blood rushed my ears.

I opened the passenger side door before he even parked the car.

“Whitney!” he shouted, his voice muffled by the metal between us.

I bolted to the door connecting the garage with the house. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach.

Hearing Jack speak his truth was my undoing.

I tried to sort through my feelings, but my sorting mechanism didn’t seem to be working. My brain couldn’t fathom that I had actually kissed my best friend. It was always weird when something you’ve dreamed of for so long comes true.

And the crushing blow of knowing this didn’t have to be how it was.

I beelined for my room, shutting the door swiftly behind me, ignoring Jack’s calls from behind me.

I vaguely heard a muffled conversation between Jack and Savannah.

A few minutes later someone knocked on the door.

“Hey, it’s me,” my sister’s voice sounded from the other side of the door.

I told her to come in. Maybe she could distract me from the mess swirling around in my brain.

Savannah slowly opened the door, peeking around it like she wasn’t sure what she was walking in on. She toed the door closed behind her. The bed dipped as she took a seat.

“Today was crazy, huh?” She laughed as she rubbed her belly. “Just when I think things can’t get any crazier, they do.”

I fluffed the pillow behind me on the bed to get more comfortable. “You havenoidea.”

Savannah tucked her legs underneath her. “At least if I had to be stuck inside for a tornado warning it was here. Have you seen the basement? It’s fully decked out. Waayyy better than my basement. I would have been bored to tears.”

“You are awfully cheery considering the circumstances.” Unsatisfied with my initial pillow fluffing, I went in for round two. I wanted to get comfortable and had no plans to leave my bed the rest of the night.

Savannah laid down on her side, her hand scooped behind her head propping herself up on her elbow. “It’s only been a couple of days since you’ve come back, but I already feel so much more at ease just knowing you are around.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know how to explain it. Even though all this shit is happening, I’m just happy and relieved you are here. And Jack too. He’s been amazing.” Savannah had always seen Jack as the older brother we never had. While my feelings were a lot more romantic in nature, hers had always stayed pure and familial.

Savannah laced her fingers in mine. “Thank you for moving back to Haver’s Creek for me. I know it wasn’t easy for you. Hell, I can’t believe you shut down your business for me. That’s the most selfless thing you could do.” Tears welled in my sister’s eyes.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from crying. “You’re welcome. I wouldn’t have done it any differently.” I squeezed her hand.

Savannah quickly turned that squeeze into a pinch. “So, what are you hiding?” She glared at me as if she could just read the secrets on my forehead.

I pulled my hand away quick, cupping it in my other hand. “Damn, that hurt Sav.”

She flashed her eyes to the ceiling and back down again. A half eye roll if you will.

“Come on, spill it.” She dipped her chin to get a better look at me. “You came running into this room like the downstairs was lava. Something happened, I’m just not sure what.” She squinted at me hard as she waited for some sort of reply. A reply I didn’t really want to give her.

She pushed up off her side, getting on her hands and knees and crawling over to me.

“Oh no you don’t.” I scrambled to get out from underneath the blankets, but I didn’t make it in time. Savannah came at me with her fingers, tickling me like crazy.

“Ahhh,” I screamed, trying to dodge her. “Please. Stop,” I said between pants.

“Not until you tell me what happened.”

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