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I’m trying to remember my notes, but he smells so good, and the muscles on his tanned forearms distract me.
“Come on, you get it right, I kiss you,” he encourages.
I laugh and lean into him, knowing he’ll kiss me anyway.
We both startle when someone says, “Are you doing more kissing or studying?”
SJ leans back in his chair and shuffles my flashcards for AP chemistry with a guilty grin. “Studying, Mrs. Winters.”
Mrs. Winters smirks and squeezes our shoulders before she moves on to shelving books. The library has become a second home for SJ and me to study and hang out. The shop is usually too noisy, and the apartment above it is usually so messy because neither SJ nor his dad keeps it tidy. My house is completely out because my parents aren’t fans of SJ or his dad being affiliated with a biker gang, as they call it, but it’s really a motorcycle club. The library is home most days to both of us. And Mrs. Winters has been known to sneak us snacks and water when we’ve been here a long time. Once, she even gave me a heads-up when she saw my mom coming, and SJ hid back in her office until Mom was gone. If my parents knew I met him here, I wouldn’t be able to come back, and I would miss Mrs. Winters and have no way to spend time with SJ. Mrs. Winters loves SJ and has never been bothered by the fact his dad is a member of the Eastern Bones motorcycle club. She’s always treated us with kindness as if we were her kids.
SJ glances down at his phone. “You probably need to go anyway, Cal. It’s almost five. You have that country club thing tonight, right?”
I groan. “I wish you could go with me. It would be more fun if you were there.”
He wrinkles his nose. “No, thanks. Also, your parents would not go for that,” he remarks with a frown.
I look over at him. “Hey, you know what? Both of our parents belong to clubs,” I tease.
SJ snorts. “I don’t think they’re the same type of clubs. One club wears leather cuts and rides motorcycles, and the other wears hideous sweaters and rides golf carts.”
“I’d rather hang out at your dad’s club.” I shudder.
“Me, too,” he says as he gathers his books and stuffs them in his backpack.
“You think you’ll join the Eastern Bones when you’re older?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Probably. They’re my family. When I can ride, I will. Dad won’t let me until I finish the basic rider class. But we’ve been building my bike together for a while now.”
“You’d look pretty hot on a bike.” I smirk.
“You’d look pretty hot on the back of my bike,” he returns with a grin.
“My parents would lose their shit,” I mumble.
“Your parents lose their shit over everything.”
“Isn’t it sad how they think they’re better than Sam? My parents are the freaking worst. Sam is an angel compared to them.”
“My dad’s no angel. But he doesn’t treat me the way your parents treat you,” SJ asserts, pressing his lips together. “It isn’t right, Callie.”
I know he doesn’t like my parents. We have a secret plan to get out of here when we graduate. Freedom Valley will be behind us, and we’ll have a new life together in college.
“I’ll come see you after the dinner,” I promise as we finish packing our stuff up to head out.
now
My eyes open, and I blink at the bright morning light streaming in through the cracks of the blinds. I stretch, grateful to have slept in for as long as I did. My body needed this. I reach for my phone and see a text from Goldie, inviting me to have coffee with her on the porch when I wake up.
I smile sleepily and send her a text. I love having coffee with her. After getting thirteen hours of glorious sleep last night, I might love her coffee even more on this cool autumn morning of my one and only day off.
After I get dressed and brush my teeth, I step onto the porch, slipping on a cardigan as Goldie carries two cups across the path from her house to my cottage.
“Good morning,” I call to her with a smile.
“It’s afternoon now, but same to you.” She hands me a cup. “Peace offering?”
“Oh, that’s right, I haven’t seen you since you bamboozled me,” I murmur.
