AllFreeNovel
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Calm down. We haven’t spoken in years.
Our parents were at odds, so who knows what Aunt Helena told him.
Deciding to tread the waters carefully, I ignore his attitude and mosey up to him.
We stroll side by side around the estate. At every turn, a kaleidoscope of memories flutters back. Playing hide-and-seek, chasing Reid everywhere, and spending hours in the fort.
I deviate in the direction of our childhood sanctuary, heart racing with every step down the stone patches between the countless redbud and maple trees.
My body shudders as if struck by a bolt of the blue when the fort comes into view.
Shit. Reid wasn’t exaggerating.
It has worn down quite a bit, looking like an absolute eyesore. No wonder Aunt Helena plans to tear it down.
Reid trails me through the opening, and I peer around the distressed structure.
Vines cover the walls and ceiling, and wildflowers are growing through the crevices of the concrete floor. Though light still bleeds into what was once so lovely, now it’s akin to an untamed garden.
This place holds so many good memories. They dance before my eyes like ghosts of the past. We’ve shared secrets, read books, acted out stories, and kissed. It was innocent and silly, but our mouths did touch. And on that same day, Reid asked me to promise we’d always be together.
“Is it all coming back?” His throaty voice causes a hot streak to dance down my spine. I suppose his older, deeper tone will take time to grow on me.
“Yeah.” I breathe through the overwhelming images bombarding my mind and pivot to him. “We had a lot of fun here.”
Reid holds my gaze for a few long seconds before looking away. “I haven’t stepped foot in here in seven years.”
“Wow.” I hug myself. “You could have brought your friends. I wouldn’t have been upset.”
“We promised we wouldn’t, Cassie.” Hearing my name in his voice places a sweet feeling in my chest.
I laugh it off. “We did, huh.”
He hums before saying, “We promised a lot of things. I remember them.”
My throat clenches when he looks at me again. There’s so much intensity in his gaze. Secrets. One, in particular, jumps out again as if he magically transferred it to my mind—that silly kiss.
Our prolonged staring ends as vibrations fill the quiet.
Reid rifles in his jeans pocket for his phone. Whatever is on the screen causes him to screw up his face and tuck the phone away again.
I want to lighten the air between us and possibly recapture what we had as children. Time together will do the trick. “Um, is that comic shop still in town?”
His features soften at my question, stirring a tickle in my stomach.
With a wave to the exit, he tells me, “Let’s go.”
I shadow Reid from the fort and back to the house. As we enter the garage, I gasp at the three luxury cars. My eyes expand when he stops at the black Jaguar XF.
“Wait. That’s your car?” I can’t help but blink profusely. “Or rather, Aunt Helena bought you such an expensive car at eighteen?”
“It was a birthday gift,” he says with a simple shoulder raise.
“I don’t even want to know what you were driving before that.” I flick to the BMW and Infiniti.
“This would have been your life had your dad stayed,” he hits back smugly before getting in the driver’s side.
The impulse to argue bubbles to the surface, making me tighten my fists. Shaking it off, I hop in and buckle up. The seat does feel cozy, and the car looks nice and sleek. That I can’t deny.
“Comfy, huh,” Reid states confidently.
He scoffs when I look over and backs out of the garage. As we leave the estate, I vow to obliterate the shield he’s trying to hold up before the day ends.
You just wait, Reid Radcliff.
