“I know things are different here,” she continues. “I’d love to know more about this town, this family, and what you do for work…but my past is my past for a reason.”
My past is my past for a reason.
One short sentence causes my past to flash before my eyes.
What’s my reason?
Is Blair my reason? Did I have to go through devastating heartbreak because life knew something better would come my way? Maybe Sierra leaving was a way to protect me from getting any deeper with her and being hurt worse.
“Do you plan to go back?” my mom asks.
I hold my breath because this is what I’ve been wanting to ask her.
I almost asked her when I picked her up tonight, and she brought up the whole new town comment.
Blair turns her head to face me, a soft smile stretched across her lips.
“I still have a lot to see and learn here,” she says before turning to face my parents again.
It’s not a yes, but it’s not a no.
The same question I keep asking myself comes back up. Can I make her stay? Because, fuck, I want her to.
“I know I’m biased,” my dad starts. “But…even though this is a small town there is certainly a lot to see. The reason I love this town as much as I do is because no matter where you are, there’s always a view somewhere. Three hundred and sixty degrees of scenic beauty. I’ll never get used to a single square inch of this place.”
“I’m starting to understand that myself,” Blair says.
I remain silent for the rest of their conversation. My dad fills her in on the plans he has for the town. Even though she seems like she couldn’t care less, she entertains the conversation, keeping a smile on her face and nodding in approval for all his crazy ideas.
Once we’re finished, I help my mom bring the dishes into the kitchen while my dad has her ear.
Placing the dishes in the sink, I feel my mom’s eyes on me. Turning to face her, I give her a look silently pleading not to say anything more.
But she doesn’t pick up on it.
“She’s lovely, Griffin.”
I nod, because she is. She’s a lot of things, but lovely wouldn’t be my first word choice.
She’s breathtaking.
She’s funny.
She’s…perfect.
“I think she’s going to stick around,” she continues.
“You think?”
“Just from my short encounter with her, I can tell this town is everything she didn’t know she needed.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat and focus on cleaning the dishes in front of me.
Blair has been everythingIdidn’t know I needed.
The short drive home is quiet. It feels as if both of us have so much to say, but neither of us wants to be the one to say it. I almost have to crack a window in the truck because the tension floating around us was almost too much to bear.
“I’m going to drop the truck off at my place and I’ll walk you back,” I say, breaking the silence before pulling into my gravel driveway.
