Page 103 of The List of Things

My hand moves over the blanket until it finds his. I lock my fingers with his.

“Did they call you when they were gone on work trips?”

“Me and my sister every night,” He nods while he speaks. “I know it seems like something to be sad about or feel bad for me for, but it’s not. I miss them, but I’ve grown up, and I’ve learned how to handle that pressure. And I had them for a long time. It wasn’t enough time but it was longer than a lot of other people have had their parents. I think that’s one of the things about you that makes me the most happy, Kamryn. Your relationship with your parents.”

I didn’t expect him to turn the conversation around. Now I’m confused.

“What do you mean?” I need elaboration.

“A lot of people our age don’t really appreciate what their parents do or have done. I know there are some circumstances that make everyone's situation different. I know I don’t know everyone’s story, but it makes me happy to see that you call your mom like you do. That you’re as close with her as you are, and that you're close with your dad too. It makes me happy to see how much you appreciate them.”

I feel my chest heat up.

“My parents are a handful but they love people, and that’s what makes it easy to love them.”

“I’ve never met them, but they made you... So I can imagine how wonderful they are.”

My chest keeps its warmth, and I feel it spread to my cheeks. Bellamy was always open with flirting, but for the past two weeks the compliments are new, and they make me nervous, but in a good way. They don’t feel like casual flirting, they feel intentional.

“I think both of us turned out pretty okay,” I tell him.

He squeezes my hand again, one two, and three times. I squeeze back, and we sit, pointing at clouds for what feels like hours. Bellamy pulled me along with him after the clouds started to turn dark, and we found our way under the tree. He pulled out a pocket knife I never knew he carried, and he began carving, K first and then a B. He even drew the cheesy heart around it, and it makes me happy and sad all at once. We ran from under the tree to his car, the soft rain starting to pour down on us. There’s one date left. Only one. I want to say it went by far too fast, but isn’t that what I wanted? Didn’t I wish for these two weeks to be a breeze?

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

THE ARCHER BY TAYLOR SWIFT

“Doyou mind if I stop by my house? Since I’m already here I figured I could see B and my grandparents,” Bellamy asks as we sit down, finally out of the rain, and inside the cover of his Jeep.

“That’s perfectly fine.”

He probably doesn’t see them as much as he wants to considering it’s a long drive from our campus, “You don’t have to come in.”

I tilt my head in his direction.

“Do you not want me to meet them?” I ask.

I don’t even know if I want to meet them. Isn’t that something only couples do? Usually, but I’ve heard so much about his sister, I feel like I should meet her. I don’t know if it’s what he would want though.

“No, I do. I would love for you to meet them, you can meet them. I just didn’t want you to feel like I was forcing you because I wanted to stop in. I was just giving you the option to stay in the car if you wanted it.”

The thoughtful side of him shows once again. He turns down the road, exactly where he had pointed, and I look at everything around us as we drive. I’m sure it won't rain for long, maybe an hour or two. It’s not as hard as it normally is when it rains.

Bellamy pulls into a neighborhood, and it takes everything in me not to gawk at the size of the houses we drive past. Each one is big enough to house a family and probably all their friends if they ever had a party. I know the inside must be far prettier than the outside which is truly saying a lot.

I didn’t grow up without money. My family was well off, but not like this. Not like Bellamy. I watch as he pulls into a driveway, three cars parked in it, all of them fairly new looking compared to the old beat up Jeep that he told me belonged to his dad. The sentiment of it still makes my heart swell.

“Your house is beautiful,” I look up at the white brick house, black shutters, and matching details all around.

“Thank you,” Bellamy gets out, and comes around to my side.

Once we’re both out, he keeps his hand on my lower back as we walk in through the front door. My eyes are scanning everything as we walk, looking at every beautiful detail of the home. This place is where a family is raised. It makes sense here, it’s perfect here.

“Ma, Pa! I’m home!” Bellamy calls out, one hand cupped around his mouth.

“Belly?” I hear a girl's voice and look around.

Around the corner of the walkway, a beautiful girl steps into view. She’s wearing gym shorts and a tight athletic shirt. Her hair is long and brown, with beautiful natural curls that hang down to her lower back. This is his sister. Brianne. I can see the resemblance between the two of them.

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