We return the pumpkins to our heads and move toward the corn maze, excited to knock another thing off our list. Because, yes, I’ve adopted it too.
She grabs my hand, and this time, goose bumps trail over my arms and through my body, causing a whirlwind of emotions to flood through me.
I don’t want to let Julie go in twenty-two days. I think I want forever.
23
JULIE
The corn maze entrance looms before us, lit by dim orange string lights that make the stalks glow gold. I’m high on the thought of fulfilling this fantasy. The cool October air carries the scent of kettle corn and distant bonfire smoke.
“Ready for an adventure?” I ask, my voice muffled.
“With you?Always.”
We enter the maze, and the sounds of the festival fade. It’s just us, the rustling corn, and the occasional distant laughter from other lost souls. The paths are barely lit, creating more shadows than light.
“Left or right?” Nick asks, hooking his pinkie with mine.
“Always left at first. That’s the secret.”
“There’s a secret?”
“Oh, there are lots of secrets in Cozy Creek.”
I pull him with me, and then we immediately turn right. I get us lost within minutes, but we keep walking forward.
When we’re at the edge of the maze, I pull him a little farther, then remove my pumpkin head. He removes his too. The string lights don’t reach us.
“You know what I realized tonight?” I ask, moving closer to him.
“What’s that?”
“For the past few years, I’ve been going through the motions of living.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, and he slides his around my waist.
“And now?”
“Now I feel alive. You make me believe I can have the things I want.”
“What are the things you want?”
“Lazy Sunday mornings in bed. Inside jokes. Someone who looks at me the way you’re looking at me right now.”
He cups my face in his hands. “Tell me how I’m looking at you.”
“Like I’m lightning in a bottle.”
“You are,” he confesses, leaning forward, fingertips brushing against my cheeks.
His lips meet mine with a tenderness that makes my knees weak. It’s not the desperate, heated kisses we’ve shared before. This is something else. His mouth moves against mine like he’s memorizing the shape of my lips. I can’t help but sigh when he tilts his head just right, allowing his tongue to swipe against mine.
I melt into him, my fingers tangling in his hair, and I need more of him, like I can’t get enough. It’s almost as if my life depends on it.
Nick tastes sweet from the cider, and he’s being so damn gentle as his thumbs stroke against my cheek. We kiss like we have unlimited time, like we’re not in a corn maze, where someone could stumble upon us.
One hand slides into my hair, pins falling out and scattering on the ground, causing red waves to tumble down my back.
