AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hmm,” June mumbles, no doubt trying to figure out where I’m taking her.
I hop out, rushing over to open her door and help her from the passenger seat. Her cool hand fits perfectly in mine and manages to calm my anxious heart. No amount of time will ever make those nervous jitters go away. It’s like every time I’m with her, I’m transported back to that self-conscious pre-teen who’s bubbling with insecurities. What if I do the wrong thing? What if she doesn’t like me? What if I mess something up?
But the worst damage has already been done. I broke her trust. I left her—the worst crime of all, especially knowing how that was the ultimate offense. She had abandonment issues, and all I did was exacerbate them. Even if it was against my will, I hurt her either way. And I'll forever be paying the price.
“What’s that smell?” June sniffs at the air.
I guide her through the front door of the place and once we’re inside, I tug the fabric of my tie to release it from shielding her eyes.
She squints, blinks a few times, and brings her hand to cover her mouth. “You didn’t.”
I don't take my gaze off of her as she breaks out into a huge smile and throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.
“Co, are you kidding me?”
I still don’t look away when she releases me and takes in the candlelit pizza shop that we spent many evenings in when we were kids.
The shop is empty aside from us and a couple workers in the back. A lone table sits in the center of the room, decked with more candles and a chilled bottle of champagne.
“This…” She strolls back toward me and pulls me into her. “This is perfect.”
“Yeah?” I tuck a strand of her black hair behind her ear.
“Yeah.” June stands taller and presses her lips on mine.
The single kiss melts the tension from my shoulders.
“I didn’t think you remembered,” she tells me, her face just an inch from mine.
“I could never forget. Not a single detail of us.”
“Oh my god.” June holds me at an arm’s length and laughs. “That fucking pizza challenge.”
I shake my head, the recollection of that day coming to me in an instant. “Can we not?”
“Co.” She continues to giggle. “That was brutal. We ate so much pizza I thought we were both going to die.”
Back then, neither of us had much money. We came here because the pizza was cheap and good and the owner wasn’t mean to us like a lot of the other shop owners were. He served dollar slices, and sometimes, he would even give us two for one.
We devised this idiotic plan where we were going to do the pizza challenge—eat a gigantic pizza in thirty minutes and if you succeed, it’s free. Otherwise, it’s forty bucks.
To us kids, the idea of eating that much money in pizza was a fucking dream. We had no doubts going into it that we could pull it off, but when June and I hit the halfway mark, the doubts started flowing in. A crowd had gathered, random strangers cheering on the two dumb ass kids stuffing their faces with pizza. People clapped and encouraged us, and just when I thought we wouldn't be able to pull it off, June and I got our second wind and shoved so much pizza into our mouths that I wasn't sure I'd ever crave it ever again. The last ten seconds ticked by as the crowd yelled, the owner joining in, every single person in that place wanting us to win.
And because we were both too fucking stubborn, and too broke to pay the tab if we didn’t, we won.
Everyone yelled and I tried to force a smile, but the amount of pizza filling me kept my celebrations at bay. June and I locked eyes from across the table, a sort of telepathic stare saying,we did it, we did the impossible.
And maybe eating a massive pizza wasn’t impossible, but to us, it felt like it, and in a way, it was like a sign that we would get through anything—together.
We had spent the rest of the day suffering from our brilliant idea, but as the fullness wore off, a renewed bond had formed between us.
“Let’s never do that again.” She places her hand on her stomach. “I can still remember how stuffed I was for what felt like days. I thought cheese and pepperoni were going to come out of my nose."
“I’m surprised it didn’t.” I take her hand and guide her to the table. “Hopefully you’re back in good standing with pizza, otherwise, we can go somewhere else.”
She sits onto the seat but reaches over to squeeze my forearm. “I’m not kidding when I say this is perfect, Co.”
The door to the kitchen opens, and a bright-eyed older man comes out with a steaming pie in his grasp. “My two favorite customers,” he greets us.
