Page 5 of Friends That Heal Us
“I don’t regret it.”
My heart flutters with an overwhelming rush of emotions. That was one question that ran through my mind repeatedly over the past week.
Did she regret it?
Did she make a mistake?
Did I make a mistake?
“Me neither, Vi.” I press a kiss to the top of her head, then rest my cheek against it, breathing in the earthy scent that surrounds us.
The rain falls in a steady rhythm. My clothes grow heavier, clinging to me as the water soaks through, and droplets slide down from my hair.
Each drop that hits the ground feels like it’s washing away another piece of whatthe four of uswere. Washing away afriendshipthat we thought would never end.
Maybe this storm symbolizes our chaos, showing us that even in the darkest of times, something better will rise. It’s the beginning of something new. Just like the darkest clouds bring the brightest skies. Our pain will end and turn into something brighter.
It has to.
CHAPTER THREE
EZRA
I wrapmy arm around Vi as we walk over to my truck. Her shivers shake my arm as she crosses her arms against her chest. It’s a summer rain shower, and it rarely gets cold to be shivering as badly as she is right now. Even if it is late in the summer it still gets hot. Could it be all the stress catching up with her?
She halts her steps as soon as we get to the parking lot.
“What?” I turn to her.
“I need a ride home.”
I glance over at the parking lot and see only my truck. The other car must have left. “How did you get here?”
“I walked.”
My mouth parts in disbelief. “You walked?”
She nods her head, and wipes the raindrops from her face.
I grab her hand and lead her to my truck. I open the door for her and watch her jump her petite self inside before I shut the door.
I rush over to the other side, jump in, start the car, and jack the heat. “Vi, I can’t believe you walked. That’s a far walk from your house.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I needed to clear my head, and it felt good to walk with the sun behind the clouds.”
As I’m driving back to her place, all I can feel is that I don’t want to let her go. But I don’t want to seem pushy either. I want to be here for her and hold her when she cries and talk to her when she feels down.
Even though she said she doesn’t regret what we did, that doesn’t tell me how she feels about me or if it changed our relationship. So far, I don’t think it has. But I can only hope she feels what I feel.
“Have you had dinner?” I ask. By the looks of it, I don’t think she’s been eating much. But she’s still as beautiful as ever.
“No.”
I pull over at Pizza Pie and put my truck in park. “How about some pizza?” I ask, looking over at her.
She looks out the window almost as if she’s in a daze. She nods her head, and I get more flutters in my stomach knowing that at least this will give us more time together.
I’m her best friend. Best friends stay with one another when they’re hurting. Why do I act like I need to make up excuses for us to stay together? I’ve been there for her, her whole life, and she’s been there for me too. We both have been there for each other without making excuses like this. I’m making a bigger deal out of it than I should. I need to relax and be there for her like I always have. But this time feels so much different. There’s more on the line here now. Especially after our night together. If I don’t keep my cool, though, I might scare her away.
