When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(69)

At the sweet sentiment, I relent. How can you argue with logic like that? “Fine, I’ll forget the whole idea of transferring.”

“Thank you.” Graham steps into a pair of sweatpants.

“For now,” I clarify.

Graham makes a quick snap in my direction, chasing me around his room. I jump onto the bed and bounce around, teasing him.

“Promise me,” he demands.

“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “I promise.”

“No, Kennedy, say it.”

“Jesus, okay. I promise I won’t transfer behind your back. You do understand though, if I did, we’d be able to sleep in the same bed every night, have breakfast together, and you could touch these whenever you want.” I lift my shirt and bra to cover my face. A crazed giggle erupts from my mouth.

My view’s blocked by the cotton material, but I hear his loud groan. My legs are swept up from underneath me and I bounce down onto the bed.

“You can transfer if you want,” Graham jokes.

“Too late. You made up your mind. I’ll stay in lonely New York, just me and my pink vibrator.” I run my tongue on the inside of my cheek, smirking at him before I duck out his bedroom door and sneak down the stairs.

Rick is in the kitchen, slaving over the stove.

“Do you ever stop cooking?” I lean over his shoulder.

“When you girls are in town, no, I don’t. I refuse to let you eat a bowl of cereal.” He kisses my cheek.

“Can I help?” He nods his head to the eggs. “Scrambled?”

“Yeah. Amanda’s demanding.”

“You guys aren’t, are you?” I question, ready to waltz upstairs and kick her ass. She and my brother aren’t anything serious, but they spend an awful lot of time on the phone.

“I may be an asshole, but I would never overstep your brother. She slept in the bed. I slept on the floor.”

“All the time I’ve spent in this house, and I feel like I don’t really know you.”

“There isn’t much to know. I grew up in New Jersey, typical Italian family. My parents are divorced. Two brothers and one little sister. I played every sport you can imagine growing up, but fell in love with baseball freshman year of high school. Prom King. No serious girlfriends.”

I smile at his blanketed description of himself. “What scares you?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I’m most scared of never being good enough. Dance is the one thing I know I’m good at, but am I good enough?” I ask the rhetorical question and shrug. “Oh, and I’m scared to death of white vans. Like the conversion painter vans.”

Rick gives me a sideways glance and turns back to the French toast in front of him. The spatula pats the side of the griddle. His head bobs up and down in the slightest of motions. Perhaps he’s building the courage to say what he needs out loud.

“Never finding someone to love me.” He takes a deep breath. “My parents had a tumultuous marriage. A couple divorces later to each other, and they finally figured out they couldn’t make it work. I always appreciated how hard they tried for me and my siblings, but I think, in the end, they did more harm than good.” He hands me a plate full of the most delicious smelling French toast. His eyes are like magnets to my own. “So, I guess my biggest fear is I don’t know what love looks like. I’ve never had a good example.”

I take a seat at the island, thinking of what to say, while Rick prepares the rest of breakfast.

“Rick, someday, someone is going to come along and knock you off your feet. You won’t expect it. You may not even want it at that point in your life, but the world doesn’t care if you aren’t prepared. There are probably millions of girls in this world you could fall in love with, but you sure as hell aren’t going to find her by acting like a little bitch who’s hiding away out of fear.”

“Did you just call me a little bitch?” Rick stops pouring the syrup.

A series of claps sing out from the doorway.

“I forgot to warn you. Don’t get into deep conversation with Kennedy. She’ll school the fuck out of you.” Graham grins ear to ear.

“How long were you listening?” Rico asks.

“Long enough.” Graham clutches his chest. “Open your heart to the opportunity to love, Rico, and the universe will answer.” His overdramatic display has me rolling my eyes.

“Be nice.” I poke Graham as he steals a piece of bacon.

After breakfast, the girls and I load the car, deciding to leave earlier than we originally anticipated. Amanda has to cover the evening shift for someone who called in sick.

Graham and I make our goodbye quick. When we know we’ll be together as soon as we get the chance, there’s no reason to draw out the inevitable. The weird thing about Graham and me is, for the first time in a very long time, we aren’t worried. It’s as though we’re being rewarded, and everything is in its rightful place in our lives.

“Before we leave, stop off at the orphanage. I have something to give to Ben,” I say.

As we park, I pull out the box wrapped in Batman paper. When I saw it in the drug store, it reminded me of the first day I met Ben.

“Wait here. I won’t be long.”

Betty answers when I ring the doorbell. “Hey, sweetie. I didn’t know Graham was coming by today.”