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I think back to our reunion in the tent last night. I think of every trip home over the last five years. She is always the first person on my to-do list. We don’t have to say what we think of each other with words; we do it with actions. Time together is our love language. “She knows.”
“Does she?” He pushes his hands into his back pockets, his head tilted in disbelief. “Then why did she give me a secret coded message for you?”
My heart skips a beat. I know Adrienne like I know the back of my hand. I’ve held my breath for six years, waiting for this message to be delivered, never once imagining it would occur like this.
“She said to tell you…”
My lips move in synch with Trent’s words.
“Seven-minute future.”
A snicker escapes my mouth as I shake my head. My hand forms a fist and rises to my mouth. I lose the ability to speak, emotions catching up to me. I close my eyes and push back tears. Three paltry words clear all the barricades in front of me. The rest of my life. The thought hits me, and this time, I don’t feel any trepidation, only joy.
I feel Trent’s hand wrap around my shoulder. “Go. She’s waiting for you.”
My eyes open, and I blink away the tears. “In a second. I have to do something first.” I whip out my phone and begin scrolling.
The time has come.
16
By most accounts, I’m a very patient woman.
But not tonight.
I’ve been counting the seconds since I sent Trent to Lucas with the message. I raced up the stairs, took the fastest shower in history, and slipped on a silk camisole and the cutoff jean shorts Lucas can’t stop staring at.
The binoculars on the top of the dresser mock me, and I stuff them deep into a drawer and wait.
And wait.
I pick up my phone, seeking a distraction, and smile when I hear my window being pushed open.
Seven minutes.
It’s only fitting that it took seven minutes for Trent to deliver the message and for Lucas to climb through my window.
Seven minutes truly can change your entire future.
I watch as one foot hits my bedroom floor, his eyes locked on me with a look of determination and need. I feel the corner of my lip tip up, and I can’t resist. “What took you so long?”
I’m rewarded with a smile that melts my heart. His stride eats up the small distance that separates us. His gaze is strong and confident as his hands come to rest gently on my hips. “This has always been our fate. We’ve been moving toward this since the day the moving van pulled into the driveway next door.”
I nod, feeling the same. The moment I caught sight of him climbing out of the back seat of his parents’ car, I knew we were going to be friends. “I see you got the memo.”
“I’ve waited six years for you to press send.” His finger runs up my side. The soft silk is no match for the warmth radiating from his digits.
“Patience is my fatal flaw,” I joke, enjoying the moment. We’ve always enjoyed an easy, flirtatious banter.
He leans down and places a ghost kiss on the tip of my nose. “You have no flaws.” He smells of sandalwood and coconut, a unique boy-next-door scent that is memorialized in my heart. “Except for kissing boys in front of me.” His smile takes my heart on another trip around the world.
It’s my turn.
I tip up and place a soft kiss on his lips. “You telling me to go experience the world and kiss other boys is your fatal flaw. I knew the minute you kissed me in the closet there would never be another. Not like that.”
“Me too,” he offers, returning another kiss, this one longer than my peck. “I’ve always wanted the best the world offered for you.”
“All I’ve ever wanted was you.”
