Page 58 of The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements 2)

Alyssa.

High.

My greatest high.

“Yeah?” I whispered back.

“Are you using?”

“No.”

“Not even weed?”

“Only weed,” I replied. A heavy sigh fell from her lips. “Come on, Alyssa, give me a break. Weed is legal in some states.”

“Not in Iowa.” She was starting to sound like she was worried, which meant she kind of still cared, which meant hope. What did I care about hope though? The Keep Alyssa Out wall was built, and I wouldn’t be knocking it down any time soon. I’d be on the next train out of this place if a wedding wasn’t happening. “Only weed though?”

“Only weed.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

She stepped back once, before stepping forward twice. She held out her pinky in my direction. “Pinky?”

I stared at her pinky for a while, remembering all of the promises we used to make when we were younger, locking our fingers together.

My pinky wrapped around hers, the small touch filling me up. “Pinky.”

When we released our hold, she stepped back twice, before stepping forward once. Her hands stretched out toward me and without any thought, I took her hold. She pulled me from my seat and wrapped her arms around me. The way she held on so tight, told my gut that something was wrong.

“High, what is it?”

She pulled me closer, holding on while I refused to let go. Her lips pressed against my ear, her hot breaths dancing against my skin. “Nothing. It’s nothing.” When we parted, she put her hands in prayer position and pressed them against her lips, tilting her head slightly. “Lo…”

My fingers ran through my hair and I nodded. “High...”

“Welcome home,” she said.

“It’s not home. I’m just stopping in before leaving again.”

She shrugged. “Home is always home. Even when you don’t want it to be. And Logan?” she said, slightly rocking back and forth on her heels.

“Yeah?”

She didn’t say anything else, but I heard her loud and clear.

I missed you too, High.

Chapter Seventeen

Logan

I dropped my duffle bag on Kellan and Erika’s front porch before knocking. My stomach knotted, not knowing how it’d be seeing both of them after so long. Time had a way of changing people, and I wondered how much it had changed them. I let a few more seconds pass before building up the courage to knock.

When the door opened, a weighted sigh left me. Kellan gave me his big brother grin seconds before pulling me tight into a hug. “Your train was supposed to get in yesterday. You get lost, brother?”

I laughed. “I took the long way.”