Page 35 of Forever Mine
She arches a blonde brow. I almost drop the fork when she grabs my wrist and directs my hand toward her mouth.
“One bite is enough for me,” she groans. “I’m stuffed. You may have to roll me out of here.”
Liz settles back in the chair and kicks her feet up on the railing.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell her, sliding the patio door open and going inside.
Last night, I printed a couple of photos for her to have. One of our prom photos together in front of the Eiffel Tower, and another of all of us posing along the fake New York skyline cutout. I could’ve easily texted the pictures to her, but I thought she’d like the hard copies. Something tangible.
When I return, I find Liz with her eyes closed and head tipped back against the chair. I’m still in disbelief that she’s here. There are too many emotions to quantify.
She must hear me come back out because one eye cracks open.
“I thought you might like these.”
She sits up straight and takes the printouts from me.
“I remember seeing these on your phone.”
“I’ve always loved that picture of us at prom.” I tap a finger on the group photo. “Liz and her three prom dates.”
She lightly chuckles. “Three fucking prom dates. I must’ve been such a hussy.”
I can count on one hand the times I’ve heard Liz cuss. The changes in my best friend may be subtle, but they’re there.
Her pale gaze slowly lifts, and the pain I see in them is startling. “I feel it, you know. You, Ryder, and Jayson. That pull. I don’t understand it, but I feel it.”
Swallowing thickly, I reply, “This past year has been hell without you.”
She sets the photos down on the patio table and gets up. Green eyes scan my face, down my chest, lowering to my bare feet before roving back up again. She steps closer, and my pulse skyrockets. Is she remembering?
“Julien, I have an odd request.” She holds out her hand for me to take, then pulls me out of the chair. “I need to kiss you, and I need you to let me.”
“What?” I rasp, all coherent thought pulled right out of my head, along with my sanity. My throat suddenly feels like it’s stuffed with cotton when I croak out, “Liz, I’m with Elijah.”
She focuses on my mouth. Frowns. Shakes her head.
“I know you are. It’s not about that… it’s just… dammit, it’s hard to explain. You look like him. Jayson. I just need to see…” She heaves in a tortured breath. “I feel safe with you. I need to see what this pull is. If it’s him or… I need to understand it. Does that make sense? I need to start making sense of all this confusion. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not anymore. I just need to know.”
Her tormented plea is a breath of a whisper, and it breaks my fucking heart.
I didn’t protect her. I didn’t stop her from leaving that night. She has suffered so much because I wasn’t there for her when she needed me. Because of my failure.
Fuck. I don’t know what to do. If I let her kiss me, even if I don’t feel anything or reciprocate in any way, am I cheating on Elijah? Friends kiss and hug each other all the time, right?
But it’s Liz. If it was any other person, Elijah wouldn’t care.
“On one condition. We have to tell Elijah. I won’t keep this from him.”
“Okay.”
“And it has to be quick. Like a peck.”
She nods.
I close my eyes, not able to watch what’s about to happen. “Okay. I’m ready.”
I’m so not ready. I’m freaking the fuck out. My stomach clenches when I feel her rise on tiptoe. I wait, and wait, getting more nervous as each second passes. When nothing happens, I open my eyes. She’s right in front of me, mere millimeters separating us.
