Page 57 of Thanks for Coming Along
She handed it to him and pointed to the word "Aiteall." Her finger slid under the definition: a spell between rain showers.
“She looks at you like that,” Sadie said, her eyes gleaming. “Like the sky clearing after a rainstorm. It’s beautiful, but honestly, it’s borderline nauseating.” She scrunched up her nose in mock disgust.
"Nauseating, huh?" he chuckled.
Sadie nodded, her smile widening. “Yeah, like when a storm clears and the sun breaks through. That kind of look. It's like you're her safe haven, her calm after the storm." She paused, her expression growing more earnest. "It's the way she looks at you when she thinks no one's watching. Trust me, Ronan, she feels the same way. It's written all over her face."
Ronan felt a rush of excitement, like a tiny ember igniting in his heart. It wasn't all in his head. There was something real between them.
"Thanks, Sadie," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "That means more to me than you know."
Sadie gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "You two are good for each other. But if you are worried about scaring, start small. If you're dealing with someone afraid of commitment, you've got to take it step by step.”
"I get it," Ronan said. "I'll start small. But eventually, she's going to know exactly how I feel."
Ronan flopped on her bed. For now, he could ease into it; he had lots of practice being overly cautious under his belt. But this was the one situation he didn't want to be cautious with. He wanted to go in with guns blazing, lasso the moon for her, name every star in the sky for her, but that was atadtoo full on.
Turning his head to look at Sadie, he said, "You know, it's funny. I've always thought I had to protect myself and keep my guard up. But with her, it's like I want to tear down every wall I've ever built."
Sadie nodded, understanding in her eyes. "That's how you know it's real, Ro. Love makes you want to be vulnerable and share every part of yourself. Just give her time, and she'll come to see that you're exactly what she needs."
He looked at the ceiling, remembering when BNN had called and demanded they cool things off a few days ago. He chuckled to himself. That was decidedly not happening. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell he was cooling things off. Things were just heating up.
38
Ronan
Eden had insisted on seeing his childhood bedroom, so Ronan found himself sitting on his twin-sized bed while Eden perused his old wood bookshelf, filled with remnants of his past. Sitting on the well-worn flannel blanket, he heard a sudden snort of laughter. Her hand held up a yearbook photo of Ronan from 10th grade.
"Oh lord, you look so goofy!" She brought the photo over to him. He looked at it with a sheepish grin. He had thick Coca-Cola bottle glasses, braces, and a few sprouts of hair on his upper lip.
"If we went to high school together, I would have done all your homework just to get your attention," he said with a chuckle.
Ronan had seen some old pictures of Eden from high school. She was definitely the cool, mysterious type—wearing smoky eyeliner and edgy outfits. Ronan, on the other hand? Total nerd. He wore pocket protectors, collared shirts, and Heelys unironically. Shoes with wheels were a lifesaver when you had to rush from one class to the next. More time for studying, less time spent walking.
"I would've totally accepted that homework," Eden said, glancing at the photo of him with a fond look. "I didn't do a bit of schoolwork in high school. I was way more into music and boys."
"Were you interested in boys who used rolling backpacks? I used to pack my school bag like I was going on a weekend trip." Ronan chuckled.
Eden laughed so hard that her head tipped back, and Ronan couldn't help but smile. Her laugh was like wind chimes on a breezy day—light and musical. Even her laughter was beautiful. He didn’t mind being the punchline if it meant he got to hear it.
"You were adorable. But when did you become so hot?" Eden asked, her eyebrow-raising suggestively.
Ronan's cheeks felt warm at her question. "Late bloomer, I guess," he replied, trying to downplay the compliment. It wasn't until the end of high school that he had finally hit puberty.
"You are the perfect mix of humble and hot, a rare combination these days," she said, making Ronan roll his eyes, a fond smile playing on his lips. He walked over to his closet, rummaged through his old memories, and pulled out an ancient mathlete sweatshirt from his high school days.
"Come on, I want to show you something," Ronan said as he grabbed his backpack and walked towards the window, motioning for Eden to follow him.
"Are you planning on pushing me out of the window? Wait to kill me until after we get married; then you can at least get the life insurance money," she joked, peering suspiciously out the window. He knew she was kidding, but the mention of marriage sent his heart into a wild frenzy. It was as if he had temporarily lost his mind, but that's what Eden did to his train of thought. He was a lost cause but honestly, he was okay with it if Eden was the reason. Logic? Out the window. No pun intended.
"Good point. I wouldn't want to miss out on a big payday," he replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. He leaned over to lift the window's glass pane and then turned to face her with a smirk playing on his lips. "And are you proposing marriage?" he asked teasingly.
"Arms up," he instructed, holding the sweatshirt ready to pull it over her head.
"You shouldn't push me out of the window with my arms up. They'll know there was a struggle. And yes, Vegas?" she retorted with a playful grin.
"You watch way too much true crime. And only if an Elvis impersonator does the ceremony," he chuckled.
