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“You were the best friends anyone could ask for, you know? Then and now.”
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. “You weren’t so bad yourself.”
“Thank you.”
Always with manners.
Always looking...not gorgeous, she’d never use that word again. But always looking so handsome, especially on days like this when he hadn’t bothered to shave.
She turned back to her presentation, readying it for him, mentally preparing herself to go over every detail, telling the voice in the back of her head to shut up.
He obviously no longer had feelings for her, at least not romantically.
He wasn’t preoccupied with what might have been, or what could be now that she knew the truth.
“It all looks fantastic,” he said, awe in his voice as he looked at her layouts before she’d even begun.
“Thank you,” she murmured before taking a deep breath. “Okay, first I say we—”
“Yes.”
“Ren, you shouldn’t just say yes without hearing what I have to say.”
“I trust you.” He blinked a couple of times, his smile falling. “I trust you.”
The words carried between them and landed on her heart, stirring up memories of the boy she’d been so enamored with that she’d missed every sign, every red flag telling her that something was wrong.
But now...now she could see.
***
“You ever just feellike taking off?” Lorenzo asked Katrina as they sat on the rock of their secret place smoking cigarettes after a short run. “I mean just...just going away, where no one knows you?”
She noted the faraway look in his eyes as he stared up at the sky, fluffy clouds floating seamlessly above them. “I haven’t thought about it. I kinda like my life. Don’t you?”
He was silent as he took another drag from his cigarette, blowing out perfect smoke rings between them.
“You lucked out this time, don’t you think? With your foster care placement, I mean. Emily aside, of course.”
“Of course, and...it’s...not the fairytale you’d think.”
“I wasn’t aware boys believed in fairytales.”
“I’d like one. Just one.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
After a beat, he shook his head. “Nah. Nothing you need to worry about.”
When he grinned at her like that, it always sent butterflies in motion in the pit of her stomach. She wished he looked at her as more than a friend, but on days like this, when it was just the two of them, she could almost pretend that he did.
Just almost.
“Want another, or do you want to race back?”
“I don’t think I could run right now,” he replied, his voice sounding almost sad.
“Ren, what’s going on?”
