Page 29 of A Summer Thing

Chapter Seventeen

Declan

I think we have a lot of soulmates.

Some for a lifetime, and some for a short time, and they all change our lives irrevocably, but they’re not all meant to stay.

Like Quinn.

And maybe like Jude, too.

I came to Oklahoma this summer knowing it was the start of something new. What I didn’t realize… was that I held the capability to hold my heart open so easily. To new friendships, new relationships, new possibilities. To an entirely new life slowly unfolding before me.

I had hoped, but I couldn’t have imagined it would so quickly feel this real. This innate feeling that I’m capable of something better.

Better than what I’ve been shown, better than what’s expected of me, and better than all the shit I’ve chosen to leave behind.

I have Addy, in part, to thank for that. And the Masons. And our unexpected roommates and friends down the hallway. And Jude.

I look over at him in his bed where he lies. His mouth parted, his chest rising and falling with calming, slow breaths, tattoos etched across his torso and climbing all the way up his neck.

I haven’t seen the images that rest beneath his chin until now, I realize—a background of black and gray shapes, with two elegant, curving words resting inside them.

Inhale, and Exhale.

I feel myself doing just that. Feeding air into my lungs, oxygen into my bloodstream, an unexpected feeling of calmness, of rightness, settling over me.

I don’t know what the next few weeks, or even months, are going to bring—I don’t know, really, where we’re supposed to go from here, states and thousands of miles apart—but at the very least, I know we’ve formed a genuine friendship, and it’s one I don’t plan on easily letting go of.

The rest…

Well, the rest I’ll just have to wait and see.

______

I sneak out of Jude’s room before he wakes, slipping straight from his bed and into Addy’s.

Her cool sheets meet the warmth of my skin, and she shifts beside me before being pulled back into sleep.

Her soft snores make me crack a smile. I don’t want to wake her when she looks so blissfully lost to the world, but we have to leave soon.

I can already smell Stacy’s farewell breakfast wafting up the stairs, into the hallway, and beneath Addy’s door.

Brioche French toast, with a lemon curd drizzle. Our favorite.

“Good morning, sleepy head,” I whisper, tapping her softly on the nose with my finger. She doesn’t budge. Her snoring only buzzes louder, and my smile stretches wider. “Addy,” I try again. “It’s time to wake up.”

She comes to with a small jolt. Her eyelids part, caramel apple eyes meeting mine.

“New York, baby,” she says into a yawn, and a smile immediately takes over her face.

It’s like watching sunlight crest over the horizon, her smile as equally essential to the start of our day.

Eyes sparkling with excitement, she starts to dance beneath her sheets and blanket, her body shaking and swaying, not following a single beat or rhythm whatsoever.

I snort before falling into a bout of laughter, smooshing my face into one of her pillows to keep from being too loud at this ungodly time of morning.

Lifting my head, I glance over at her alarm clock—5:43 a.m.

Way too early.

But we’re trying to be out of here and on our way by eight, which should put us in Indianapolis, our halfway point, by seven tonight, depending on how many stops we make.

All we have to do is get ready this morning, carry our stuff downstairs, and eat breakfast with the Masons before we’re on our way.

My eyes stray to our packed bags stacked neatly by Addy’s bedroom door—my one small suitcase to her thirteen bags and boxes—and I can’t help but laugh again at the sight of them.

“Hey, Addy. Serious question,” I say.

She pulls her plush blanket up to her chin, her gaze meeting mine. “Shoot.” She yawns.

“Do you think we should pack up some more boxes for you? I’m honestly not sure you’re bringing enough stuff. Our dorm is probably going to be depressingly bare now that I think about it.”

“Shh.” She smooshes my face with a palm. “Don’t tempt me.” She glances around her nearly empty bedroom, mischief written all over her face. “There’s still plenty more I could take.”

I shake my head with a smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

“But you still love me.” She shrugs. “And you wouldn’t have me any other way.”

“No.” I laugh. “I definitely wouldn’t.”

“That’s right,” she sasses, but her tone is all warmth and excitement. “And I wouldn’t take you any other way, either. Ah! We’re going to have so much freaking fun this year!” she squeals. “I cannot wait.”

“New York, baby,” I quietly repeat her earlier statement.

“New York.” She sighs wistfully, and her lips curl into a sleepy smile.

We linger in bed for a little while longer, talking about our new home and all our hopes for this year—the places we want to go and the sights we want to see, all the food we want to try.

But eventually, we drag ourselves out of the comfort of her sheets and get ready, heading downstairs for our last breakfast of the summer with Cal and Stacy.

______

“You two being adults in this giant world—” Cal clears his throat with a swift shake of his head, his eyes glossy with a reservoir of tears threatening to spill free.

Setting his fork down on his plate, he folds his hands together.

“It scares the goddamn shit out of me if you want the truth. So, you two have to promise me something—you look out for each other, okay?”

“Always,” Addy immediately replies, her tone tinged with emotion.

“Always, Cal,” I repeat, and my own emotions grow thick in my throat.

“And you don’t let anyone make you feel anything less than comfortable,” he continues, staring us down. “Or they’ll have me to answer to. Understood?”

We both answer him with a nod.

I can already picture him driving onto campus with his truck and his shotgun, reigning hell on anyone who tries. The image forces a smile to my lips, and I catch Addy smiling through her sheen of tears, too.

Silverware scrapes softly against plates as we continue to eat our breakfasts.

I wish I could say I was enjoying the hell out of my favorite meal, but I can barely taste it as I swallow each bite down, my thoughts and emotions all over the place.

Today feels like this momentous day in a sea of smaller ones that have made up my life.

Like each ebb and flow was always meant to bring me right here.

To the Masons, to these past eight weeks, to the next four years at NYU, and hopefully, to the me that waits on the other side of it all.

I wonder if Addy feels the same way.

The lump in my throat stays firmly rooted in place. No matter how many bites of French toast I take, no matter how many times I try to swallow past it.

And then Stacy cuts through my thoughts with, “I love you so much, my girls,” her words heavy with emotion, and when I look up at her through my lashes, I see the two trails of tears that have carved a path down her face, choking me up further.

“I’m so proud of you both.” Especially you, honey.

After everything you’ve been through, she doesn’t say, but I can feel in her light green gaze when it burrows straight into mine.

“This is where life begins. I can’t wait to see where it takes you,” she finishes quietly, with the softest smile, and it’s entirely too bittersweet.

Addy swipes away at her tears in my periphery before grasping her mom’s hand.

“I love you too, Mom. And I love you, Dad.” She looks at him.

“We’re going to miss you guys so freaking much.

” I nod at her words as she continues, blinking against my own tears.

“But I promise you… We’re about to take New York by storm!

” Her ringing statement breaks up the emotional tension at the table, and I can finally take a full breath as I exhale a laugh.

“Of course, you will.” Stacy laughs, too, making the sign of the cross. “Lord, help us all.”

It makes the four of us laugh that much harder, tears slipping down our faces, until I can’t tell which are from true laughter and happiness, and which are from the bittersweetness of officially having to leave the only place that’s ever felt like home.

Having to leave some of the people I’ve only just met this summer, too.

These blended emotions bleed further into one another—into this beautiful morning, this beautiful breakfast, this beautiful goodbye.

______

We stuff our luggage and boxes into the back of Addy’s Explorer, and it’s like a game of Tetris with how snug everything fits. Once we manage to maneuver it all in, though, I’m certain nothing will be moving from its spot until we reach campus in two days.

Reaching up, I push the button for her trunk to shut, and in what feels like slow motion, we watch it lower and latch into place, locking everything inside without much resistance at all.

“I’m not going to lie, baby, that was impressive,” Boss says from behind us, and Addy giggles loudly in response.

“You never should’ve doubted me,” she sasses, right before spinning around and launching herself into his waiting arms.

Boss showed up just after we finished breakfast, as we were carrying our things onto the front porch to bring out to the car.

But it wasn’t to anyone’s surprise. Cal and Stacy found out about their relationship the night at the hospital, and while they were admittedly upset, they quickly resigned themselves to the fact that Addy is grown up now and there isn’t much they can do about it.

We were leaving for New York in just a handful of days at that point, and in the end, they were more worried about the guys and making sure they’d be okay.

There were no consequences, no repercussions, no hell to pay for anyone after all.

It might have also helped that Boss is one of his favorite players, so Addy says. But I have a sneaking suspicion Cal adores each of his guys as much as the next one.