Page 98

“Nothing is that funny at seven-thirty in the morning.” River’s voice floats to us through the locked door. Learned my lesson. Lock the door and triple-check it.

Skye and I look at each other and laugh even louder now until we both have tears streaming down our faces.

In this moment, the full strength of my love for this girl hits me so hard, it takes my breath away. I’ve never been happier, never felt this accepted and loved. It might be just eleven weeks since that cold September night we met, but I can say with certainty that Skye is it for me.

I’ve found my one and only.

Chapter Fifty-One

It’s beena month since the shooting. Since Logan said he loved me. The trip home for Thanksgiving solidified something in our relationship. We spend every free minute together. We sleep in each other’s houses, and River has learned not to barge in through closed doors.

But not before catching us in the shower. That damn bathroom lock was always tricky. My fault for not triple-checking like Logan does. Yep. River got an eyeful. She says she’s scarred for life now, but when Logan wasn’t around, she confided in me that she thinks he has an amazing ass. He does.

We didn’t see much of each other for the last three days since Logan is taking a lot of shifts this week. But the good news is that he got a whole week off for Christmas and New Year’s and he’s coming home with us again. Tonight is his last full night shift, and after tomorrow, he switches to day shift until the end of the week and then we can go home for the holiday break.

River is at a Christmas party with Becca and it’s just me at home tonight, watchingMiracle on 34th Street—the original one in black and white—and drinking hot chocolate. The perfect companion for the snow that began falling at the same time the movie started playing.

My phone buzzes. I expect it to be Logan, but it’s Bruno.

Bruno: Hey, are you home?

Me: Yes.

Bruno: Is Logan or River there?

Me: No, just me. Why?

Bruno: Can I come over?

Me: Sure, is everything okay?

A second later, the doorbell rings.

Bruno: It’s me. I’m outside.

This is odd. Bruno is supposed to be out of town with Sidney, having an early Christmas celebration since he has to spend the actual holiday with his family.

I rush to the door to let him in and one look at him tells me something is very wrong. Bruno walks right past me and into the living room. He takes off his sneakers and jacket and puts them in the closet by the front door, a habit he’s always had. His mom hates clutter in the house. Shoes and jackets have to always be hidden in a closet somewhere. He walks straight to the couch and drops into it like the weight of the world is pushing down on him.

I close and lock the door and sit next to him, both feet folded under me. I wait.

His eyes are red and his face blotchy, like he’s been crying for hours.

“Sidney broke up with me.”

My heart sinks. They’ve been together for over four years. Sidney and Bruno began dating senior year of high school. Sidney goes to a different college a couple of hours away, and Bruno goes away to visit as much as he can. They’ve kept this relationship alive and thriving for all this time. Seeing my best friend this broken brings tears to my eyes.

“What happened?”

“Apparently, I’m not committed to our relationship enough.”

“What?”

“Sidney gave me an ultimatum. Now or never.”

“I thought you were supposed to wait until graduation.”

“So did I. We agreed to it. Right after graduation, but—”