Maybe This Time(79)

I smiled. “I do.”

He nodded. “So we’re apart for five months. We can handle five months. Let’s give this thing a fighting chance,” he said.

“This thing?”

“Us.”

“Us,” I agreed.

“It could work,” he said, as if still trying to convince me. “We can text and call and send pictures.”

I gave him a smile. “That does sound doable.”

Andrew was quiet for a minute, then said, “I’ve wanted you near me since we sat in the back of an old boathouse together watching fireworks.”

“You have? Huh. I still hated your guts that day.”

He laughed. “I know.” He reached out, took my hand, and brought it to his lips. “So when did it change for you, then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you getting so mad that Kyle was kissing someone else.”

“I wasn’t mad that he was kissing someone else. I very much wanted him to be kissing someone who wasn’t you. But not if that hurt you. Not if you wanted it to be you.”

“I didn’t.”

“Good. Because you kissed me that day.”

“I know.”

“And I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since.”

“Me neither.”

“You were really good at hiding that.”

“You too!” I protested.

“So … New York?” he asked, pulling me into his arms again.

“Are we being crazy? Is this impractical?”

“Who cares? Now is the time to fail spectacularly. We have our whole lives ahead of us to try again and again.”

I smiled and closed my eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. His lips brushed mine softly.

I melted against him. He was warm and solid. I could feel his heart beating a steady rhythm.

“You’re quiet tonight,” he said. “What are you thinking?”

“That I’m so happy.”

“Me too.” He pressed his lips to mine again. “Me too.”





That Barn isn’t going to clean itself,” Micah said. She, Andrew, and I had wandered the grounds as guests started to leave and had found a stack of hay six bales high and just as wide. Andrew had boosted us to the top and we now lay side by side (me in the middle), looking up at the bright stars.

“It might if we never go back,” I said.

“I thought you said no animals live at this barn.” Andrew patted the straw beside him. “What’s with the hay?”

“People use it for weddings. Seating or decorations or …” I trailed off.

“You couldn’t think of a third thing?” Micah asked.

“Can you?”

“I probably could, but I won’t go there,” she said.

“Where is your boy?” Andrew asked Micah.

“My boy?” she repeated.

“The one you were kissing earlier?”

“He was a midnight kiss, Andrew. Don’t try to tie me down to someone I kissed at midnight.”

“Oh,” he said.

I smiled. That was a good sign for Lance. Micah had ended up actually talking to the beautiful boy and finding out that he didn’t fit her criteria.

Andrew rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand.

“Do you know that Sophie yelled at Russell about Birmingham?” Micah asked Andrew. “And how close it was and how easy it would be to visit her since he lived in Birmingham?”

“You want Russell to visit you?” Andrew asked me with a grin.

“Yes, that’s exactly what that was about.” I threw a piece of hay at him. Then I threw one at Micah. “And that’s not at all what I said, but whatever.”

Andrew draped an arm over my waist and pulled me closer.

Micah stuck out her tongue. “I might need to get a boyfriend if you two are together now. I can’t compete with this.”

My eyes flitted to Andrew’s, wondering what he thought of Micah proclaiming us a couple. He seemed to read my mind because he just raised his eyebrows at me, like a question. I pulled on his already-loosened tie, bringing his face down to mine, and I kissed him.

“Yep,” Micah said. “I definitely need a boyfriend. You have any friends in New York?”

Andrew threw a piece of hay at Micah this time. “I thought I told you that I have no friends.”

“Had,” I said. “You need to start using the word had in that sentence.”

“True,” he said.

“Micah!” The sound of Lance’s voice rang out through the crisp night air.

Micah sat up. “He probably needs me to help clean. See you two later.” She hopped off the stacks of hay and went to meet Lance.

“I’ve never seen her so anxious to clean,” Andrew said as she walked away.

“Yes, that’s exactly what that was about,” I said for a second time. “Cleaning.”

“You don’t think it was about … Ohhhh!” he said, realization dawning. “Good because I was kind of depressed when she kissed Russell.”

“Me too.” I sat up to see Micah and Lance talking as they walked to the Barn together. I smiled.