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I sigh. “There’s nothing I can compare the way I feel about her to. I’ve never been in love before, so how do I know if I am or not?”
A smirk crosses Blake’s face. “My friend, you just answered the question. You’re in love.”
“What do you mean?” Curiosity runs through me. How in the hell does he think he can answer how I feel about Avery when I’m not even sure myself?
Blake leans against the forklift as
I load the last of the wood on it. “When you didn’t immediately deny that you were in love, that told me right away that you were in fact head over heels for the girl. If you didn’t feel something for her—if she was just a simple piece of ass—your denial of being in love would’ve been immediate.”
I open my mouth to argue that his logic is crazy, but quickly close it when I realize that I really don’t know if I’m in love with her or not. She’s all I think about. That much is clear, and I’m always anxious to see her, but does that mean I’m in love?
I mean, how does a person really know? It’s not like there’s a chart to go by to judge if what you’re feeling is love.
Blake chuckles and then slaps me on the back. “Now I’ve got you thinkin’. See, you’re in love. You just didn’t realize it yet.”
I stand there with my mouth agape as Blake climbs onto the forklift and heads out of the building so we can load the customer’s truck. Since when did Blake become so damn observant and knowledgeable about matters of the heart?
The rest of the day flies by as I do nothing but think about the way I feel about Avery. How did I not know that what I was feeling was turning into more than an intense like? Granted, I’ve never felt like this, but I thought for sure I would know that I was falling in love before it was so obvious to everyone else.
Another texts pops up on my phone as I climb into my truck after work, and I smile when I see it’s from Avery.
Avery: Are we going to Blake’s tonight?
Seeing as how partying at Blake’s on the weekend is really the only thing to do in this town, I type back a quick reply.
Tyler: Yep. I’ll pick you up at seven and we’ll go eat before we head over. Sound okay?
Avery: Perfect.
There’s never drama with Avery, which is surprising considering how I met her. It seems like people at her sorority were not very good friends to her, so I don’t believe Avery was able to be herself with those people. They didn’t seem to accept her, unlike here. In this town, she just seems to fit in.
After going home and grabbing a quick shower and checking on Mom, I head over to Avery’s place. When I pull up the long drive, I admire the work that Avery’s dad, Blake, and I have accomplished in a few short weekends. We have the frame nearly complete. Soon, Avery will have a room, and I know it will make her extremely happy to stop sleeping on her grandma’s couch.
Avery comes out of the door, and bounces down the front porch steps. She smiles at me as soon as she climbs up into my truck and shuts the door behind me. “Hi!”
I love that she’s excited like this every time she sees me. It makes me feel pretty damn good because I’m always anxious to see her.
I lean over and press my lips to hers. She tastes like cherries—good enough to eat. I pull back. “You hungry?”
“Starving,” she answers immediately.
We head over to the drive-in diner and then grab a quick bite to eat. The entire time we’re sitting in my truck, I can’t stop thinking about the conversation I had with Blake earlier. It is possible that I love this woman sitting beside me, but is it fair of me to tell her while knowing that it doesn’t change the fact that I have plans to leave this town behind? It wouldn’t be right for me to tell her that I love her and then walk away from her right after I say it. She’ll believe that I never meant it, and I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way because that’s exactly how it will appear.
“You look lost in thought.” Avery’s voice pulls me away from the things going on inside my head. “Everything all right?”
For a moment I debate telling her exactly what’s on my mind, but then decide against it. The best thing I can do is keep that fact bottled up inside me. It’s the right thing to do.
I smile at Avery. “Everything is fine. I was just thinking about work.” I know it’s a lie, but I can’t bring myself to tell her the truth. So I need to change the subject. “How was your day?”
Her eyes search my face, and I can tell that she’s not satisfied with the quick change of subject. She places her hand on top of mine. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
“I do know.” I nod, but I’m nowhere near ready to talk to her about this. I might come off as completely crazy for wrestling with these feelings after only knowing her for a little over three weeks. “Things will be fine.”
As usual, Blake’s party is in full swing by the time Avery and I arrive. I smile as a few of the girls at the party greet Avery with a smile. It’s nice to see that she’s no longer the new girl, and locals are now befriending her.
The moment Blake spots us he heads over with three red plastic cups in his hands. He gives Avery and me each one and then shakes my hand, followed by a chest bump. “Nice to see you, man. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it tonight after the conversation we had earlier. I thought you’d be holed up in some hotel—”
Avery furrows her brow, and I can tell she’s suspicious, considering the way I was just acting when we were eating.
