Page 25 of Princess and Country

A month later

My eyes brimmed with tears. My hands found my chest, thinking it’d be ripped apart. Could it? I had no idea. Never in my life did I have to say goodbye to someone. And now, standing in his room, nestled in his arms, his scent filling each cell of my body and my soul, I was doing it for the first time.

“Don’t be sad, Princess,” Jeff said as he tightened his grip around me. “I’ll be back every few days. And we’ll talk all the time.”

I snorted. “I know. It doesn’t make it easier, though.”

Jeff cupped my cheeks and wiped my tears off. We stared into each other’s depths. “It’s just college, Dah. Not the other side of the world.”

I tried to smile, but it fell flat. Who knew love could be that painful? Was this how Carter felt when he learned about me and Jeff dating? For his sake, I hoped not. Here I was, crying my weight in tears, and we weren’t even breaking up. Just living in different cities. I was being silly.

“You’ll be surrounded by girls older and smarter than me.”

“Don’t, Princess. Don’t go there. It’s you and me.”

Our lips brushed, and I lost touch with everything around me. Until Carter broke us apart, sliding between our entangled bodies with a cocky smirk.

I stepped back, and Jeff let go of me.

“Thought you left without saying goodbye, big bro.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Never. I would’ve never heard the end of it.”

Carter wrapped his arms around my shoulders, his cocky grin still on. “Stop breaking my best friend’s heart, man. That’s not cool. Just leave already. We’ll be fine on our own.” I backhanded Carter’s chest but ended up smiling. Despite myself.

Jeff gave us a pointed look. “Now that I think of it, I’m not sure I like the idea.”

I pushed Carter away and pressed Jeff’s chest with both hands. “Forget Cart. He’s desperate to keep you here with him. He’s just not brave enough to tell you himself.”

Carter burst into a fit of laughter. “Stop reading my mind, Dah. Anyway, you’re wrong. I can’t wait to have all of this to myself,” he said, motioning his hand around. “I’ll make this room my kingdom. Yeah, sounds about perfect.”

Jeff moved me to the side and gripped Carter into a headlock.

I sighed. These two.

While they busied themselves wrestling, I went to Jeff’s truck outside and placed one of his T-shirts, that I’d sprayed with my perfume, in his suitcase.

Carter and Jeff joined me minutes later, their faces flushed and their sibling spark fully on.

Jeff pulled his brother into a hug before pushing him. “Okay, bro. Gimme some time with my girl. I love you. Don’t be stupid because I won’t be there to watch over you. And keep an eye on Dah for me.”

Carter clapped his brother’s shoulder. “You got it.”

Jeff pulled him into another hug before my best friend sauntered toward the house.

We both watched Carter as he disappeared inside.

“You know he’s still hurting, right? I can see it in his eyes. His happy attitude is just a front,” I said once he shut the door behind him.

Jeff sighed. “Yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m hoping with me gone, he’ll get his groove back. I hate seeing him like this. Wait until he plays his new song. I heard it last night. It’s fucking sad.”

I balanced on my heels, my thumbs hooked to my denim skirt pockets.

“You think he’ll get over it someday?”

“Yeah. He will. It’ll be good for you two to spend more time together.” I swallowed the boulder growing in my throat.

“I hope so. I miss him. And I’ll miss you.”

“I know. Now, come here, you,” Jeff said, closing the gap between us. Like two magnets, we gravitated into each other’s arms. “Miss me. But not too much, okay?”

“I’ll try. Please be safe.”

We hugged one last time before Jeff climbed into his truck.

He rolled his window down as he pulled out of the driveway. “I’ll call you when I get there. I love you.”

Hugging myself, I waved at him, not even bothering to wipe my tears off as a chunk of my heart drove away with the boy I loved.