“Not that long,” I quip, then bite my lip hard.
“Did you hear anything—”
“No,” I interrupt, but my voice is forced and strained. “What did you want?”
He clears his throat. “I didn’t mean to call you. Must’ve been a butt dial. I was sitting on my sweatshirt.”
“Okay. That’s fine. I better go. I’m driving. You know, I should pay attention to the road.” It’s not like he can see me, but to prove my point, I crank my engine, shift my car into gear, and pull out.
“Yeah. Talk later.”
We hang up, and I drop my phone onto the passenger seat like it’s a burning lump of coal. I robotically take all the turns I need to get home, but I remember none of them, because my mind keeps replaying what I just heard Tyson say to Ham.
It was muffled, but not so muffled that I couldn’t make it out.
He said he thinks about me.
He has for years.
I thought I was alone in my feelings for him, but I guess not…
I’m dead.
An hour later, I pull into my driveway, not remembering a single thing about the drive. I park and step out of the car. Something shuffles behind me, and I don’t even need to look to know it’s a goat—one that isn’t in his pen—coming up to greet me.
“Seriously?”
I slowly turn. Sure enough, Crunch is trotting toward me. I’m in a mood and yell, even though I never yell at my goats.
“Get in your pen!”
My heart won’t slow as I chase him across the yard.
All I can think about is what I heard.
All I can feel is my heart slamming against my chest, sending little ripples through my veins. Each one feels like it is changing me.
Changing what I thought I knew.
About myself.
About Ty.
And now, as I run after this goat like my life depends on it, my whole life flashes before my eyes.
It’s the oldest story in the world.
One day you’re driving home from work, and your brother’s best friend is just your shy brother’s best friend, the one you’ve known for years. Sure, you have a crush on him, but that’s cliché. And he’s off-limits because he’s your brother’s best friend, and he’s a hockey player your mom hates, and okay, he’s hot but he’s definitely not into you.
Then suddenly everything rearranges.
All my memories.
All my emotions.
I press my hand to my chest.
He likes me back.
