Page 113 of Mine

I remembered him in my bedroom earlier, not a scrap of clothing between us as we explored one another as though for the first time. He was the only man I’d been with sexually, so I know I had nothing to compare it to, but it was truly out of this world the way he made me feel.

The way he always makes me feel.

He must’ve noticed me staring, because a smug grin played at his mouth as our eyes met, my stomach filling with butterflies as he turned away.

“We should book the flights soon, otherwise the prices will hike up,” my mom said.

“I know someone who can sort your flights. Remind me later?” Cal piped up, winking at me as I frowned.

I still felt like there was so much about him I didn’t know.

My mother nodded as he shot her a winning smile.

I squeezed his hand as my father parked the car into one of the last spaces in the parking lot. It must be busy; this town was never short of spaces.

We climbed out and I straightened my outfit up, a black dress teamed with a denim jacket and my Converse high-tops. I glanced at Cal and realized we didn’t match our outfits up at all tonight, but I didn’t care.

“You’resofucking beautiful,” he murmured as he slid his arm around me. I laced my fingers with his and we walked after my parents, who were also hand-in-hand.

“It’s so strange being back here,” I said, noticing some familiar faces milling around.

It had been a long time since I’d been back, considering the last time I had just spent with my family and not gone out much.

Cal pulled me over to a little stall that was selling bottles of wine, handwritten labels with unintelligible scrawl written on them. He peered at them as the woman smiled at us broadly.

“Red, white or rose?” she asked sweetly as her eyes flickered over Cal a little too long for my liking.

He turned to me and held his hand out for me to answer.

“Oh, I like rose,” I smiled sweetly as Cal’s eyes crinkled up in the corners.

“We have fourteen different bottles of rose, each one with a unique taste. If you like it sweet, I recommend this one,” she slid out a pink bottle as she poured some into a tiny plastic cup for me to try.

I glanced at Cal as he watched me crinkle my nose up at the smell and he bit back a smile. I sipped it, the delicious taste of crushed lemons mixed with what tasted like vanilla and melon.

“Wow! That’s amazing,” I declared as the woman flushed with pride.

Cal ordered two bottles, and we waited as she wrapped them for us. He paid, and we continued our tour of the festival, stopping to sample cheeses and meats.

Fairy lights hung from the trees, making the town appear almost magical under the night sky; I huddled closer to Cal, finding his warmth comforting.

My parents were deep in conversation with some neighbors of ours when I heard my name being called excitedly from behind us.

“Oh, my God, it is! It’s Gretchen and Cal!” The voice trilled as we turned to see my friend Rosie squealing as she hurried towards us, running into my arms.

She held me at arm’s length as she studied me, her eyes widening.

“Wow, New York suits you, you lookamazing. Hey Cal...”

She offered him a small smile as he nodded in acknowledgement, before whispering to me he would leave us for a moment to catch up. He disappeared into the throng of people and I looked after him wistfully before turning back as Sienna bounded up to us, gripping me tightly.

“Oh, my God! Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back?!” She demanded, an accusatory tone in her voice.

“Surprise?!” I grinned as we fell into a group hug.

We had been close in school, but it had become difficult towards the end when I got with Cal, after my relationship with Luke ended. They didn’t want to choose sides.

Ultimately, me moving to New York was a good thing;it created distance and people could move on.