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While still embracing Whitney, my eyes travel over to Rhett and connect with his. A bright smile, one so warm and so full, reaches his eyes and spreads across his handsome face. He gives me a thumbs-up sign like a dork, and I laugh while giving one back to him.
Seeing him surrounded by happy children makes my heart grow a thousand times bigger.
This sweet boy with a huge heart. How did I never see him before?
He was there all along, in our friend group, at parties, the ski trip, and hell, the same apartment building. Yet I never saw him the way I do now.
How kind, generous, and funny he is.
All I want is to spend more and more time with him.
As my heart heals, my scars fade.
But I still don’t trust it. I doubt I ever will.
Chapter 15
Rhett
“Have you decided when you’re coming home?” my mom asks, her face peering into the camera on our FaceTime call. I want to laugh because she’s never been very good with positioning her phone. Most of the time, I stare at the ceiling fan whirling around.
“Finals are done on the twenty-first, I’m helping run a toy drive, and we’re delivering the gifts on the twenty-second. If I leave on the twenty-third, I’ll be driving through the holiday.”
“Why don’t I just pay for your airfare? This is silly,” my mom says.
“You know I hate flying.” I shudder at the memory of my one and only horrible experience a few years back. We flew out to California to tour Sierra Cove, and I threw up the entire time. Motion sickness medicine didn’t help much, barely taking the edge off. I told myself I’d never fly again. Never.
Hence why I haven’t been home since I arrived here in my car a week before my freshman year started.
“One bad experience doesn’t guarantee every time after will be bad. Load up on some strong meds. You’ll be fine.”
“Do you hear yourself right now? Load up on some strong drugs?”
“Look, it’s crazy around here with all of the wedding preparations. To say I’m fucking stressed is an understatement. You’re in the bridal party, find a way to be here. If you can be here before Christmas, even better.”
I sigh. Did she listen to anything I said before? “The twenty-third is the earliest I can leave. You know it’s a few days' drive, right?”
“This is why you should fly, but you won’t listen!” she snaps.
Usually, my mom is sweet as pie. But definitely not when under stress, that’s for sure. “Okay, okay, I’ll figure it out.”
“Let me know if you need me to send you money for a ticket. If you end up driving, I’ll send you gas money. Love you, Rhett, bye.”
“Thanks, Mom, love you too.” I hang up the phone and let out my breath. My shoulders sag, and I lean back in my computer chair. The past three years, I’ve spent Christmas here without them. But my roommates were around, so we found parties to go to and bars to hang out at. I didn’t feel alone.
But on the road alone? Staying in cheap motels alone? That sounds awful.
Now, I don’t even want to go home. Fuck the wedding. I doubt they’ll notice I’m missing.
Fuck, that feels like shit, too.
I can’t miss my eldest brother’s wedding. What kind of shitty fuckery is that? Unforgivable.
I stare at the blinking cursor on my computer screen. The very one mocking me. Type something, dumbass.
It’s the last paper due before finals start in a couple of days. I’m off from work until after winter break as I plan on staying in Florida for most of the break. So maybe that’s why my mind feels like it’s on a vacation already. Usually words come easily to me but not tonight.
Shit! I slam my laptop shut.
