“Oh God, I’m sorry!”I blurt out before realizing that the wall is a man, a man who smells like home.
Peering up and…up, I feel as if I’ve seen a ghost because standing before me is Kit Rivers.
Time stands still…and not in a bad way.
I’d recognize those piercing hazel-and-amber eyes anywhere.Although older and grown into the man he was destined to become, he still has that boyish grin and air of arrogance about him.But now, it’s amplified tenfold.
I stand speechless.And no matter how desperate I am to move my feet, they remain planted to the floor.
Kit tilts his head, and a look of recognition passes over him.“Do I know you?”
Fuck…
This is the slap to the face I need, and before he can ask anything further, I turn on my heel and race toward the booth where Jupiter still sits.She reads my panic and soon stands.“We need to leave.Now.”
She doesn’t question why.
We’re pushing through the crowd, and when Jupiter turns over her shoulder, and asks, “Who’s that?”I know Kit is following.
“No one,” I frantically reply.
I don’t know why, but I don’t want her to know who Kit is.
We soon make it outside and quickly run across the road, merely missing a car that honks at us.When we’re safe on the other side of the road, I stop and turn to see Kit burst through the door, looking from left to right.
I take one last look at him as we slink into the darkness, becoming a shadow once more.
Each step gets harder, however, and the blackouts return whenever I’m stressed.Although they were improving before, seeing Kit has clearly increased my anxiety.
I lean against a pole, closing my eyes to regain my composure.
“It’s okay, Hallie, I’ve got you,” Jupiter says, my forever savior as she wraps her arm around me.“Let’s get you home.”
“Oh, Olivia.I’ve been looking all over for you,” says Sister Jessie.
Truth be told, I’ve been hiding all morning.
I woke up in bed with no recollection of how I got there.I blacked out again and assumed Jupiter had gotten me home safely.She’s done this for me before.
I was up early, so I showered and decided to keep busy and tend to the paperwork Mother Superior had asked me to organize two weeks ago.
The distraction has been welcomed.
“What can I do for you, Sister?”I ask, blowing a stray strand of hair from my brow.
“Father Justin’s car broke down, and you know how much he loves that thing.He was able to get ahold of a mechanic who has offered to come by and look at it.And he’s here now.I would go, but I have a class to teach.Do you think you could meet him out there and relay the information back to Father Justin when he returns from Mass?”
“Of course.These files aren’t going anywhere.”
Sister Jessie looks at me with an “I don’t envy you” look.
But truth be told, it’s nice to keep my mind occupied with anything other than last night.
Not only has Smokes been playing on my mind, but Kit as well.He looks just as I remember, only older and hotter.Now that I’m looking at him through the eyes of a woman, I see things a young girl doesn’t.
I like what I see—a lot.
But seeing him brought back memories of Dandy.Not a day passes that I don’t think about him.Even though we were childhood friends, I know that we would be friends now.That sort of friendship is forever.
