I didn’t have Felix waving at me from across the road with a half-eaten burger held between his fingers. Or Luke patrolling the crowded streets, sneaking a hug as he walks by. A chorus of friendly whistles when I wave to the guys who work at the garage down the street and are friends with Papaw. People here value family and love.
Olivia must see the worry written on my face as she places her hand on my shoulder, giving me a comforting squeeze. Friendship isn't a big thing. It's a million little things. Like how Olivia knows just how to make me laugh or when to comfort me. Or how she always seems to know how to read my mind and how to say the right thing at the perfect moment.
“Let’s go find the others,” she says, leading the way.
Moments later, we are close to the stage. Streets have been blocked to provide a safe area for people to mingle together. We spot Zane, Ryland, Luke, and Annabelle all huddled together, sharing the biggest onion petal I have ever seen. Ryland, as if sensing us near, looks up first and tries to smile over his mouthful of food.
“There ya are,” Zane says in greeting, and I reach over and give him a side hug.
“Luke, how bad did the mac and cheese fight get?” Olivia asks and hops over toward him.
He groans at the memory, which causes a fit of laughter among the group again. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Zane steps closer to Ryland and makes a silly face at Annabelle, which gets her to giggle, before pulling out his phone to show us a video. “I live-streamed the whole thing. It was epic.”
“I knew I could count on someone to get it!” Olivia laughs and pushes against Zane’s chest.
“I texted the guy who was working the music to play a moreappropriate song for the fight, and he chose wisely,” he adds, winning Olivia’s smile again.
“You’re the best!” she chimes, and Luke stiffens as Olivia gives Zane a hug and then shows him something on her phone. They laugh together, going into their own little world. Zane and Olivia are a lot alike. I wonder why they’ve never dated before. Or have they and I wasn’t told? I make a mental note to find out later.
We all enjoy a few songs together before Luke has to get back to patrolling. I peer over at Annabelle who’s snuggled in her dad’s arms, looking like she’s about to fall asleep. Zane nudges Ryland before saying, “She’s looking tired. Want me to take her home?”
“I can take her,” Ryland replies, but Zane is already shaking his head, his eyes flickering toward me, and gives a wink. “Are you sure? You don’t?—”
“Annabelle, Uncle Zane is going to take you home,” he says and reaches over to grab her from Ryland.
Annabelle doesn’t protest as she leans her face on his shoulder and wraps her arms around his neck, her eyes already shutting. Ryland thanks his brother, gives Annabelle a kiss, and promises to tuck her in soon. She doesn’t respond, already crashing from all the sugar and excitement of the day.
Olivia announces that she’s going to go find Luke. Ryland and I are left by ourselves, and he takes the lead, quickly wrapping his arms around me, pressing my back close to his chest. He draws me closer, as if even a centimeter of space is too much for him. My back is on fire from where his chest is touching me through my cotton shirt.
We listen to a few more songs. I make sure to act as obnoxious as I can with my dance moves just to get him to laugh and dance along with me. We chuckle at the eye rolls we receive along with others who join in the dancing. He makes sure to keep me close as we dance to the slower songs, and he sings the lyrics into my ear for only me to hear.
The tension between us builds. Maybe it’s the music, the twinkling lights strung above us, or the fact that I’ve decided to push aside my worries and doubts, but having his hands on me, in a place that is so familiar, makes me feel like we are the old Raine and Ryland.
Maybe pieces of them are still alive after all.
Ryland pulls me closer to him until my nose reaches his chin. He has one hand gripping my hip while the other is tracing the side of my cheek. The shining light from the stage is reflecting in his multicolored irises, and I catch the hint of gold and green woven together as his eyes dance with mine….right before they land on my lips.
My heart is hammering so hard in my chest I’m sure he can feel it. Ryland leans down, inching his lips closer to mine, and in a panic, I lean my forehead onto his and grab a hold of what little control I might have left. I place a hand onto his chest, pushing away just an inch.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, not quite understanding why I’m holding back when I’ve wanted this for so long.
“It’s okay,” he says, backing away to give us both space.
The last part of the show is an encore of fireworks blasting into the sky above us. Ryland looks up, the light reflecting off his eyes, and I keep staring at him. This moment carving out a nook in my chest where I know it’ll sit, like a time-worn fragment of magic I’ll remember it even when everything else starts to fade.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Eleven Years Before
Ryland
I’ve decided that if Raine and I can make it through our senior year, we can make it through anything. Davis put an end to our dates after Raine’s shifts at MJ’s Diner during the week. I try my best to make the most of our limited time together at school, squeezing in kisses in the hallways, behind the bleachers, or in the stairwell.
We text and call each other every second we could until the weekend would come, and we’d either spend time together at the farm or at the lake. Little by little, I see Raine’s light begin to dim. The weight of Davis’ control is starting to get to her. Him constantly putting her down, making her feel like everything she does is wrong, and I’ve caught her often mentioning how worthless she is.
It’s emotional abuse. I make it my mission to remind Raine of her worth as often as it takes to help her heal from the damage he’s caused. Only a few more months, and we will taste freedom together.
