Page 53 of This Kind of Forever

She shrugs. “I figure it can’t bethatbad now. I mean, we were, like, twelve the last time we came here.”

We round a corner, and Hallie immediately runs face-first into a giant fake spider hanging from the ceiling. She lets out a shriek, jumping back. Then she trips over her boots and slams into me, and I grab her waist to steady her.

“Careful,” I murmur in her ear.

I swear I feel her shiver.

“Thanks,” she says, looking up at me sheepishly. “I guess I was a little overconfident, huh? Maybe I should turn back.”

“Or you could hold my hand,” I offer without thinking. I don’t take it back, though. “Would that help?”

There’s hardly any light in here, but a purplish bulb casts a glow over half of her face and neck. I watch as she swallows, considering.

“Okay.” She clears her throat, projecting her voice a little louder. “Yeah. That would help.”

I hold out my palm. Slowly, she slides her hand into place, and I link our fingers. Her skin is soft, a sharp contrast to the roughness of mine. I’ve held her hand before, but something about this time feels different. Maybe it’s the way Hallie instinctively leans toward me when we turn the next corner, bracing for another jump scare. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that I don’t want to ever let go.

Is it possible to fall in love with the same person more than once? Because every day, I feel like I’m falling for Hallie all over again.

I know I have to push these feelings away, though. The last time I voiced them, I lost her. And I don’t think I can go another ten years without her in my life.

TWENTY

GABE

TEN YEARS AGO

I stare at my phone,waiting for a text that isn’t coming. It’s been over twenty-four hours now, and she hasn’t said a word.

Hallie, I’m sorry.

We can go back to how we were. Forget I said anything.

I’ve known my sister’s best friend since we were four years old, and I’ve loved her just as long. Over the years, I’ve kept my feelings to myself, but recently, something shifted. Maybe it was the thought of graduation and everything that came after—change, both big and inevitable. I couldn’t let her move without telling her how I felt.

My brain tried to convince me I was reading too much into things. No way would Hallie Foster love me back. But then Ithought about how she would blush when I was around, and the way her smile turned brighter when I made her laugh, and I knew.I knewshe loved me, too. She had to.

But I was wrong, and I threw away fourteen years of friendship for nothing.

God, Clara is going tokillme when she finds out. If she finds out. But why wouldn’t Hallie tell her? They tell each other everything, and I’m sure this will be no exception.

Hey, Clara, do you wanna hear how much of an idiot your brother is?

And Connor is going to have a field day with this. He’s the only person I’ve told about my feelings, and he gives me shit every chance he gets.

When my phone buzzes in my hand, it takes me all of one second to realize it’s not her. My body deflates when I see my friend’s name on the screen instead.

Connor

How’d it go?

Ok, considering you’re reading this and not making out right now, I’m gonna assume not well

Very bad actually.

She literally ran away after I said I loved her. Now she won’t answer my texts.

Connor