Page 11 of A Forever Love
My palms suddenly grow sweaty, and I wipe them on my purple skirt, avoiding his gaze.
I thought he knew I was cursed.
“Everyone I love leaves. I…I can’t be loved,” My voice shakes as I share my deepest secret.
Every sound in the restaurant fades, and I hear only Carter’s loud breathing.
“Listen to me, Merida Catherine Adams. You are the most lovable person I know. If anyone, and I mean any-goddamn-one, including your dad, makes you believe otherwise, they are idiots. Do you got that?” His jaw tightens, and I nod fast, not liking his angry face.
When he’s calm again, I murmur, “My dad is a good person. He just misses Mom too much.”
Carter clenches his teeth. “Believe me, that’s why I’ve kept my mouth shut.” Then, he adds slowly, “You can love me until you find someone better, mittens. I’m never going anywhere.”
“Are you sure nothing will happen to you?” I ask, my voice almost a whisper.
Carter finally grins and shakes his head. “Didn’t I tell you when we met that I’m a special person?”
I couldn’t have closed my eyes any faster after blowing out the candle. “I’ll love you forever, Carter. Promise that you’ll never leave me.”
* * *
Present Day
“Do you remember I called you every day that next week just to check if you were still alive?” I let out a short laugh at my own stupidity, my cheeks burning like wildfire.
“I’d never felt more cherished in my entire life.” Carter’s reply is devoid of any humor, causing my heart to skip a beat. He’s always been the one with sassy comebacks, but right now before me is his broody alter ego, whom I haven’t met in all these years of our friendship.
“Those were easier times,” I whisper, and he doesn’t ask for more explanation.
“So what do you say? For old times’ sake?” He takes out a candle from the inside of his jacket and plants it on top of the cupcake. “Go ahead, mittens.”
I close my eyes, and as much as I try, I can’t stop myself from wishing what I wished for all those years. The only difference is, unlike all those other times, I whisper the words in my head tonight.
I remove the candle and split the cupcake into two, like Carter used to do. “Thank you so much for being there for me, even when I didn’t know I needed someone.”
“You’re not the only one who wanted the company of their best friend.”
My mind struggles to process his words, and my chest pounds like a thundering drum.
What does he effing mean?
Time seems to slow down. Every time I’ve thought of this moment, seeing Carter again, I thought the biggest challenge would be protecting my heart against his charming personality. I never prepared myself for this vulnerable side of him. The ground beneath my feet feels unsteady, and as if he senses my struggle, he changes the line of conversation.
“By the way, Uncle Gavin can’t wait to hand over his position as the company tech wiz to you. He was already asking HR to draw up a contract. But don’t worry, I told him you might like to take a few weeks’ break after college. I’m sure some serious studying was needed to get to the top of your class.” Carter’s words are laced with pride, and a heavy load of guilt drops into my stomach.
“I’m no tech wiz,” I mumble, feeling like the biggest coward of the century.
“Your computer science degree says otherwise.” He tips his head to the side, fingers grazing his jaw, a gesture I used to think he did purposely to look more mature than his age. Carter continues to study me, as if uncovering some secret. When I remain silent, he probes, “So am I right? Are you planning to take a break?”
“I…I was considering an internship first.” I brush a thick curl behind my ear.
“Internship? I don’t want to hire you for a trial run, Mere. I want you to be my tech expert, just like Uncle Gavin was for Uncle Connor.”
He wants me!
Before my heart can explode with joy, my brain chimes in.
As his tech expert, dumbo.