Page 36 of The Other Side

For me.

For us.

I’m convinced there aren’t many people in this world who can say their first time was wonderful. We dream about the butterflies and stars, but sometimes, we only get a fraction of that vision. As for me? I got the whole picture.

Because of him.

Dove.

His upper lip flexes, and a smile slowly blossoms from my lips. My chest hums with glee, my forehead planting on top of our laced knuckles. Tears prick the crooks of my eyes, only for his free palm to cradle the back of my head.

“Always,” he murmurs.

My hand lands on top of his at my head. I stroke it a few times before peeling away, a tiny sniffle commencing shortly after.

We could make a big deal of the memory. We could linger on the elephant in the room. Instead, we’re drawing sips of our drinks as we quietly cherish this instance in time.

There’re friendly glances and lip twitches, but the silence speaks the loudest.

Just like it once did for us.

With Brant and I, we never had to speak to understand each other. I thought we might’ve lost it, but as it turns out, that superpower never abandoned us.

If anything, it followed us.

Chapter 13

Callie Rae

I swing the car door shut, my hands smoothing out my leggings after. Postmodern lines and country charm merge across the exterior of Brant’s house.

My eyes snap to Brant’s Tacoma parked next to a similar pickup in the driveway. I’m reminded that he lives with his roommate from college, and that would’ve been something to recall.

Especially before I decided to rearrange my Saturday morning plans.

Nice one, Callie.

I halt on the concrete driveway when the front door swings open. A man walks onto the wood beams of the wrap-around porch, his windswept hair peeking out of the hood of his black zip-up.

He pins a squinted gaze to me. “Hello,” he greets before gulping a sip from his coffee. “Can I help you?”

I nod, my throat cocking with brief regret. “Y-yeah, I’m looking for Brant,” I say. “Is he here?”

Sean, I assume, straightens behind the metal railing while cradling the mug to his chest. His free hand burrows in his sweatpants pocket, and then he’s angling his head to the side. “Yeah, he’s out back.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I sigh, planting my fingers to my forehead. When I lift my head back up, my eyes meet his brown hues. “I should introduce myself. I’m Callie.”

His brows shoot up. “As in … Callie Rae?”

“Yes.”

He shakes his head, his eyes narrowing as he points to the side of the house. On cue, a cracking sound echoes from behind the fence, and my belly ravels with nerves. “W-wait a second, does Brant know about this? Does he know you’re here?” Sean’s stare burns into me, perplexed at the idea of me standing in front of him. Like it’s a phenomenon he never thought he’d be alive long enough to witness.

And then, I understand.

I tip my head to the side. “Well, he doesn’t know I’m here right now,” I clarify. “But he knows I’m around. We ran into each other a couple weeks ago.”

Sean’s dazed expression is accompanied by a lopsided smile. Then he’s wagging his head. “Holy shit,” he murmurs, marching down the porch steps. “I’m gonna kill this motherfucker.”