Page 117 of The Other Side

We’re playing.

We’re playing.

Our favorite pastime.

Her lips tuck as she swats her fist into my upper arm. “Keepin’ me waitin’ like that! How dare you!”

She rumbles a breath out as she walks ahead of me.

“Okay, but seriously, are you gonna wash that hoodie before you give it back?”

Callie whirls around to wind a punch, and I chuckle as I hop to dodge the blow. She tries again, and I’m busting her chops now as I shift side to side. Her fist eventually knocks into me, but I break out into a run.

I’m grinning as I chuck my head back, my belly bouncing against his arms caged around my stomach. My laughter snowballs, head tipping back as my cheeks blush under the sun. His arms are stronger, his body larger, and I trust this pending happiness more. Like he’s going to secure it this time. Like I can finally snatch it.

The way we couldn’t before when we were younger. Smaller. Weaker.

I can feel affection and tenderness blossoming.

Love.

He eventually lays us down on the ground with me caged under him. I gasp, swiping my hair from my face as my dress surely gets dusted with dirt.

But I couldn’t care less.

The only thing I care about now is staring up at the boy who altered my life. Took it for a drive on a different course just so I wouldn’t crash and burn.

His Adam’s apple rolls, the gold flecks in his eyes shimmering. My hand cradles his stubbled cheek, and my thumb strokes him there.

It eventually lands on his lower lip to drag it down.

The crook of his mouth twitches. “Yeah. I’m happy right now,” he whispers before nodding. “I’m happy right here.”

I can hardly draw a breath in when he hijacks a kiss. His arms snake under me to swaddle me, and I hug him harshly as we make out under our forever safe haven.

He flips us so I’m on top, twigs and crumpled leaves sprinkling our clothes and hair. Chuckles mesh between our crushed lips, but our tongues find each other anyway.

It’s hurried and impatient.

Messy.

We’re literally sheathed in our past life. A life we condemned so many times. But all we want to do is have it dust us more and more. Until we’re so dirty we hardly recognize the people we’ve become.

Our wounds were left under here, and now…

it’s about time we heal them.

Every last one.

Chapter 34

Brant

After spending the afternoon with Mom, the night is ours.

Being that it’s a Saturday, the crowd bustles around The 1984 Barn. The faint smell of hay dangles in the air as Callie and I travel along the gravel path to the entrance.

My hands find my jeans pockets when we station behind a group of friends. “Thought you would’ve brought my hat with you,” I tease when I rotate to Callie.