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When he pulls away, he grabs my hand. And then we walk off the court.
Together.
EPILOGUE
HOLDEN
“Stop smiling.” Mark says.
My grin stretches my cheeks.
Finn rolls his eyes. “It wasn’t that good of a shot.”
It was, though. I celebrate by raising my cold can of beer in a cheers motion before taking a sip.
Jordan takes his turn. We’re playing a version of H-O-R-S-E with more letters. S-E-N-I-O-R-S. It seemed fitting, considering we graduated high school today. As of midnight, we’ll be kicked back to freshman status.
I glance across the yard, scanning the faces gathered round. Finally, I find her.
Cassia stares straight at me. Her hair is down and loose, brown curls falling over the green t-shirt she’s wearing. She smiles. Mouthsgood shotbefore Sydney says something and steals her attention away.
I resist the urge to walk over to her. The guys would give me shit for it, but I don’t care about that. I want her to have time with Sydney. Come fall, she and I will be leaving for Richmond together. I got a full ride offer and so did she.
There were other schools she got into too. More prestigious schools. But she chose Richmond, and I’m not sure how to convey to her how much that matters to me.
My dad’s younger sister, Catherine, requested a remote work option. She’s moving to Pembrooke in September and will be staying with Sydney through her senior year, so she’s not all alone and is able to finish high school in the same town.
Sometimes it seems silly, how much time I spent worrying about the future and all that could go wrong.
Other times I feel guilty for feeling so happy when my dad is gone and my mom doesn’t care. I never told Sydney about her brief reappearance. I want to shield her from whatever I can. Maybe one day I will. Slowly, I’m learning that opening up leads to more good than bad. But I’m not sure anything good could come from mentioning our mom. She hasn’t shown up since the school parking lot. Whatever obligation she felt to check in after our dad’s death was short-lived at best.
Mostly, I’m grateful that my mistakes aren’t permanent. That Cassia didn’t kick me to the curb the way I probably deserved.
“Your turn, Adams.” Finn bounces the ball to me.
I back up a few more feet, then take the shot. It swishes, and all the guys around me groan.
I’m the only one without a letter. Most of them miss from the spot, racking up another themselves.
Mark is the first to earn a second S. Rather than keep playing for other places, we abandon the game, spreading back through the party.
I beeline for Cassia, walking up behind her and closing my arms around her.
She leans back against me and glances up. “Did you win?”
I pull her closer to me and drop a blistering kiss on her lips. I pour everything into it—love and lust and vulnerability.
Cassia is an addiction—a healthy one. She soothes the darkness. Makes me want to be less destructive. Care more. Focus more. Matter more.
We don’t separate until my lungs are burning for air. “Basically.”
“I could have beat you.”
I scoff. “Sure.”
She rolls her eyes, but smiles.
I savor it—the feel of her in my arms and the soft expression on her face. “Finn wants to play Truth or Dare for old time’s sake. He’s been talking about it all morning.”
