Page 29 of All Your Tomorrows

“What’d she say?” he asked.

“She didn’t say anything,” I explained.

He spun away from me, burying his hands in his pockets, as he stepped around the guardrail and descended the hill to the river. My instinct was to follow after him to give him the support and comfort he needed, but I also knew he needed something more than support and comfort. He needed time.

“Thank you for looking after him,” his grandmother said.

“It’s not a hard thing to do,” I explained.

She cocked her head, sympathy showing in her eyes. “He’s certainly charming…easy to love someone like that.”

I nodded, knowing it woulddefinitelybe easy to love someone like him. “Nice meeting you,” I said before turning away from her and walking to my car parked on the grass on the other side of the bridge.

I slipped inside my car and texted Izzy.An interesting thing happened last night…

Izzy: You hooked up with a hot guy?

Me: You’re warm.

Izzy: Hot girl?

I laughed.Cold.

Izzy: I’m working. Just tell me.

Me: A spirit.

My phone rang immediately. Izzy’s name was on the screen. I lifted it to my ear but she was talking before I could even say hello.

“Girl, what the hell is going on over there?”

“I know it’s crazy.”

“I can think of a lot of words for it,” she said.

“It doesn’t even matter,” I sighed. “I think he was just making a point.”

“What kind of point elicits a kiss?” she asked.

“I told him about being a virgin and Rick cheating. He told me I was missing out and then kissed me.”

She grew silent.

I instantly regretted telling her. I should have just kept it my embarrassing secret.

“How was it?” she finally asked.

“The kiss?”

“Yes, the freaking kiss!”

“Amazing,” I said, not even trying to hide my gushing. “But he hasn’t said a word about it since it happened, so…”

Her voice grew serious. “Nora?”

I closed my eyes, knowing a lecture was coming.

“He knows how this ends,” she said. “And, he doesn’t want to break your heart.”