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“Finish the semester here.” I squeeze her hand tightly, the words coming out in a rush now that I have finally voiced them out loud. “Then you can transfer to Michigan State. We can forget about this fucking town and be together.”
I wanted to ask her to come with me ever since she told me she was accepted to a local college, but I didn’t want to be an asshole or make her feel bad for not getting into any other colleges she applied to.
Tears glisten in Rebecca’s eyes as she just stares at me, not saying anything.
I cup her face, running my thumb over her cheek. “Rebecca? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t.” She shakes her head. “I can’t leave with you.”
“I know, baby. But it’s just a few months, and then you can look into transfers and…”
“You’re not listening, Miguel,” she whispers. “Ican’tleave. Not now, not ever. My family needs me.”
I pull back; her words are like a blow.
My family needs me.
“I thought I was your family too,” I say, the accusation clear in my voice.
We had plans, dammit.
We’ve been talking about a life, afuturefor the last couple of years, ever since we started dating.
Rebecca and Emmett have been a constant in my life since we were born. The town called us the Three Musketeers for a reason. But somewhere along the way, she’s become so much more than a friend. At first, I was scared. Scared of destroying the only good thing in my life and chasing away the person I loved so much. But Rebecca convinced me it wouldn’t happen. That it’ll be the two of us against the world.
“You are. You’re my family too. But Matthew needs me. Mom needs me. I can’t just up and leave.”
“Matthew has your mom, Becs. He’ll be fine. They’ll be fine.”
But I didn’t have anybody.
My father all but disowned me. Emmett and Kate were going together to Blairwood and Rebecca…
Rebecca’s lips press in a tight line. “I can’t, Miguel,” she whispers once again, her voice soft and apologetic. “I’m so sorry. But I just…” One lone tear slips down, and she brushes it away with a quick swipe of her hand. “I wish things were different, I really do, but…”
“But you don’t want to come with me. I get it,” I nod my head, trying to keep my emotions under wrap as I get to my feet and place Rebecca on the ground.
“It’s not like that, Miguel.” She grabs my hand. “I want to come, but…”
“You can’t,” I repeat her earlier words. Sliding my fingers in my hair, I give the strands a firm tug as I turn my back on her. “Dammit!”
“Michigan isn’t at the end of the world,” Becky continues ina hurry. She wraps her fingers around my forearm and tugs me back. “We’ll make do. We’ll visit every chance we get. It’ll work out.We’llwork out. I love you, Miguel.”
Cupping her cheeks, I lean down and press my mouth against hers. The kiss is hard, unyielding. I tilt her head back, my tongue demanding entrance into her mouth. And she lets me in. With a quiet moan, her lips part, her soft tongue meeting mine, and we kiss desperately, my hands roaming her body as I try to memorize every inch, every soft sound she makes, every hitch of her breath as I touch her.
Breaking the kiss, Rebecca wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her cheek against my shoulder.
“It’s going to be fine,” she repeats. “We’re going to be fine. We’ll find a way to make this work.”
That knot in my stomach that was there the whole summer grew larger as I sat in my truck that day and drove away, unease creeping up my spine no matter how many times I repeated Becky’s words to myself.
We’ll be fine. We’ll make it work. I love her, and she loves me, and it’s going to be enough.
But no matter what I told myself, that uneasy feeling didn’t go away.
And I was right.
Because not even a year later, we broke up.
