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My heart hammered. Luke and Emmeline were breaking up.
I knew that wasn’t exactly Luke declaring his love for me. He hadn’t even asked me on a date. But still, hearing that gave me hope. It made me believe the stupid torch I’d been carrying around for him all this time wasn’t for naught.
“I think it might be good for me to be single for a while, you know,” he continued.
“Sure.”
I nodded quickly. I could deal with that. Mostly because it meant that he had no plans to ask anyone else out.
“Plus, I want to spend some time with you before we go,” he said sweetly. “We’ve only got a few weeks.”
Now that I could get behind.
I sat back in the booth and smiled. A minute later, Marnie came over, and Luke and I ordered two chocolate shakes and fries to share. When they arrived, I immediately dug in, dunking salty fries into the sweet shake, like always, while Luke looked on, disgusted. Like always.
Around us, customers came and went. We sat in that booth for hours, long after our food was gone, talking about nothing. It was the happiest I’d been in a long time.
Finally, Marnie came around with the check. Luke and I both reached for some cash, but something else fell from my pocket. I gasped. I tried to grab it, but Luke was faster. He scooped up the Death Note and raised an eyebrow. I cringed at the sketchy little skull and heart I’d drawn on the paper.
“Give me that back,” I demanded, holding out my hand.
“What is it?”
“None of your business.”
“It looks like a love note,” he teased. “Who’s it for?”
“No one. It’s not a love note. Just give it back.”
Luke obliged, handing over the Death Note, and I tucked it into my dress’s pocket for safekeeping. Now wasn’t the time to talk about what-ifs and thinking about the future. I wasn’t ready. But, whatever, I had time to tell Luke how I felt about him.
Or so I thought.
One
Luke
After the diner, I dropped Cindy off at her house and watched her get out of my truck. Her pretty red skirt fluttered around her thighs as she stood up, and it made me smile. Something about her was different tonight, and it wasn’t just the dress and the hair. Though she really did have nice hair. I wasn’t sure I’d ever noticed before.
She walked with a new confidence. She had a twinkle in her big brown eyes.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was different, but I liked it.
“Headed home?” she asked.
“No, I’m going to go over to Emmeline’s.”
“Wait, you’re doing itnow?”
I nodded. “There’s no point in delaying the inevitable, right?”
“I guess so.”
I knew how heartless it probably sounded, but Emme’s and my relationship had been rocky for months now. We’d been arguing a lot, especially when it came to talking about our futures. Em wanted to stay local for college, and I was itching to get out of Blue Creek. Our relationship had run its course. We were only in high school, after all.
“I just have to hope and pray that her dad isn’t home to watch this go down.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” she said, crossing her fingers on both hands. “Maybe my knees and ankles too.” She giggled as she stood with her legs twisted up like a pretzel. She stumbled, but quickly caught herself. She blushed, and it was fucking adorable. Cindy could be a total goofball at times; it was one of the things I loved about her.
