When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(22)

“My two favorite food groups,” Rick retorts, turning away to make several more plates full of food. Violet takes the one offered and finds comfort on Dan’s lap to share her food with him.

I stand from my stool and circle the island. “Thank you, Rick.” I wrap him in a hug. I glance back and give Graham a wink. “I’m going to go shower.”

The second I walk out of the kitchen, I hear the guys giving Graham a hard time. It’s clear he’s been telling the truth about his non-existent love life here on UConn’s campus.

“Please, tell me you’re going to go up there with her. And what’s with her calling me Rick? No one calls me Rick.” Rick’s voice echoes down the hallway.

My feet hit the steps when I hear Amanda’s voice. “Knowing Kennedy, she has a reason. Now, where the hell is my breakfast, Rico?”





I knock on my bedroom door, but don’t get a response. Shuffling from foot to foot, I kick the doorframe a few times. My internal debate doesn’t last long. The room is empty, but her bra and shirt are draped over the end of my bed. A sigh of relief releases at the sight of her belongings mixed in with mine.

My leg bounces as I wait for her to come out of the bathroom. A faint melody spins around the room and Kennedy’s soft voice sings along. I run my hands over my head and down my neck, trying to release the stress building under my muscles since she arrived.

I drop back on the mattress, bathed in the smell of her vanilla body wash wafting from the bathroom. The fear of the unknown blankets me. When I hear the distinct creak of the hinges, my eyes close tight. Hot steam infiltrates the space around me, and dew forms on my exposed arms.

“What are you doing, Graham?” The spot beside me dips under her weight.

“Thinking,” I answer.

“Overthinking, you mean?”

“How can I not?” My eyes spring open, but I stare at the ceiling.

Kennedy leans back until she hits the mattress next to me. She’s wrapped in a towel, her hands fisted tightly in the fabric.

“You’re thinking me being here is beyond confusing, and perhaps, it may be our destruction because neither of us is ready for what this means.” Kennedy squirms until her head is on my shoulder. I nod in answer to her unasked question. “But perhaps what you’re missing is, life doesn’t care if we aren’t ready, and maybe, we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”

“What are you saying?” Thick desperation bleeds through my mumbled words.

She drops the sweetest kiss on my jaw. “Time doesn’t hold us in its regard, Graham. Life keeps moving on without us, and it’s our responsibility to catch up. So let’s run until we do, but you’ve got to stop overthinking it. You’ll give yourself a heart attack.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Let’s see where we go, okay? No mess, no fuss. We simply exist in each other’s worlds once again. You say you’ve been here all along. Well, now, let me be present alongside you, and watch where we turn up.”

“No promises? No labels?”

“There’s no need for them. We know what we are.”

I stand and reach down to pull her up. She heads to the bathroom, and I slap her ass. “Go get dressed.”

The camaraderie between us is natural. It’s hard not to fall into old habits, which is why I’m not surprised to feel like we’re back in her bedroom, our junior year of high school.

A playful smile tickles her lips when she peers over her shoulder. “Don’t be bossy.”

A blow-dryer sparks to life for five short minutes, compared to most girls. By the time I’ve pulled on a pair of jeans and rummaged through my closet for a shirt, the door bangs against the wall with a loud crack. Kennedy walks out, balancing an unzipped suitcase in her hands. Clothes poke through every crevice as she throws it on the bed.

“Think you brought enough?”

Her eyes move to my chest and don’t waver. Desire written across her irises makes my pulse speed up. I grind my teeth and fight the urge to cross the room and wrap her in my arms. Neither of us is ready for what being together again will stir up. It’s safer if we keep our hands to ourselves as much as possible. Kennedy’s already crossed the line by dipping her tiny fingers in my waistband last night. If I hadn’t thought about my grandmother to keep myself in check, I would still be awake and fighting wood. I slip a black thermal over my head.

“You could’ve gone ice skating shirtless, you know?” Kennedy gnaws on the corner of her lip.

“You’d like that too much, and I’m not in the business of giving you everything you want. Yet.” Of course, I will never deprive myself of her, but now isn’t the time to go all caveman and throw her ass onto my bed.

“Yet, huh?” Kennedy turns to zip up her pink suitcase, which coincidentally matches her cheeks. She tugs and pushes with no give.

I press down on the top of it, and it closes with ease. “See you downstairs.”

Everyone is in the living room. Four different conversations come to an immediate stop when they notice my presence. Whether the high school version or the new, more private Graham, each person in this room has impacted my life in some way. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them.

Dan stands from the chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he lurks toward me. “You okay?” His eyebrow raises with curiosity.