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Youcouldstay, you know.
I’d considered it. During the long rides on the back of Adrian’s motorcycle, I’d listened to the tiny voices whispering in my head. They told me I deserved a longer vacation, and yes, even more time with the others. Sexual adventures aside, I enjoyed reminiscing. I’d enjoyed seeing the town, and our old local haunts. Meeting up with Emmett…
Those voices told me that somehow, for some reason, I wasn’t yet done here in North Glade. But as Adrian pulled us off the highway and back onto the streets of the little town we’d grown up in, I’d pushed those voices away.
“Hey. You still with us?”
Warren was all but snapping his fingers in front of my face. I shook all other thoughts out of my head and smiled. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he grinned back, but his smile was sad now. I could see it in his eyebrows. “But if you’re making this flight, it’s time to go.”
We rose together and jumped into the Chevelle. Five minutes later we were at the terminal, checking me in at one of those electronic kiosks. I had my carry-on bag, which Luke was holding, and that was it. I liked to travel light.
“Airports always make me sad,” I sighed.
“They make everyone sad,” said Warren. “They’re full of goodbyes.”
“Or hellos, depending on which side of the gate you’re on,” Luke pointed out. “But yeah.”
Together we walked, with the boys flanking me from all sides. It felt like they wanted to be close to me. That especially now, during these last few moments, they needed to be near.
Finally the security gate came into view. It was as far as we could go. This was it.
“I… I love you guys,” I said, the tears already flowing. “You know that right?”
They smiled. Nodded. One by one, they hugged me harder than I’d ever been hugged in my life.
“And you’ll come visit Big Sur, right?” I demanded of them. “Remember, you promised. All of you.”
“Yeah,” said Warren. “Sure.”
The knot in my stomach had moved up to my throat. I could barely breathe. I wanted to kiss them one by one, but I knew I’d lose control. That I’d be sobbing and kissing three guys in the middle of the airport, and that might look a little—
“Don’t choose.”
The words came from Adrian, who’d said virtually nothing the whole time. The strange part was, the others didn’t even look confused by the statement.
“What?”
“What he means is,” Luke cut in, “what if you didn’t have to pick just one of us?” His eyes were glassy, his voice deep and heavy. “What if you didn’t have to disappointanyof us?”
I shook my head. “I—I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“You said you couldn’t pick, because you never wanted to come between us again,” said Warren. “But what if you didn’t have to? What if you—”
The tears started flowing, as I shook my head. Suddenly I understood.
“Warren, no. That’s not what I—”
“We love you, Kayla. We don’t want to lose you. Not again.”
The knot in my throat was a softball, choking me out. There was no oxygen. Nothing to breathe.
“We’d do this for all of us,” said Luke, “rather than let you walk out of our lives. You make us better, Kayla. You always have.”
With that he swept me into his arms, kissing me in full view of a hundred people. The kiss was long, soulful, meaningful. When it was over, he smiled.
“But it’s not just about what we want,” he said, finally letting me go. “You’d need to want it to.”
