“So…” she says after some brutal silence.
“So…”
Cora laughs. “This is weird, isn’t it?”
“Maybe just a little bit, but I’m sure we will find our way eventually.”
She reaches over and grabs my hand. “I should probably tell you that I talked to Grace.”
I close my eyes as my heart sinks in my chest. Fuck me. This is where she tells me it’s over and she never wants to see me again. “And…”
“She gave us her blessing…not that we need it, but she gave it. Clay did too, I guess, not that I asked him.”
I look down at her in surprise. “Wait, what?”
Cora nods as she looks forward. “Yep. She told me that if I want to be with you, she thinks it’s a great idea.”
“She said those exact words?”
“Not exactly verbatim, but yes.”
“Huh…”
“Peyton even told me that if Grace is your friend, you can’t really be that bad.”
“Is she dying?” I blurt out, making her laugh.
“I know, right? Totally unlike her, but no, she’s perfectly healthy. Or at least I think she is.”
“Well damn, color me surprised.”
“I don’t think that’s how that saying goes,” she says as she knocks her shoulder into my arm.
“It works, though.”
We fall silent again as we walk. I try to find the words to tell her what’s on my mind. I want to tell her that I’m thankful she decided to give me another chance. I want to promise her that I won’t ever fuck up where she’s concerned, but we both know that would be a lie. Relationships are never easy and are bound to get messy at some point. You can hurt someone when you’re not even trying.
“You know, I love fall,” she says, pulling me out of my head.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, it speaks to my inner basic bitch,” she says, making me laugh.
“I don’t think there’s anything basic about you, beautiful.”
“Soon enough you’ll find out that you’re wrong.”
I squeeze her hand. “I hope so. Hell, there are a lot of things that I can’t wait to learn about you.”
“Yeah, like what?”
“What’s your favorite movie?”
I remember when Clay asked me what Grace’s favorites were, and I got it completely wrong. This time I’ll remember.
Cora’s nose crinkles. “Honestly, I don’t watch a lot of movies. I can binge-watch a seventeen-season show with twenty episodes a season, but movies put me to sleep.”
“Really?” I ask her. “I love movies. I can rewatch the same movies. ThePredatorfranchise is one of my most-watched series. It’s my comfort noise in the background.”
