Page 55

I lower my head.

Fuck.

I haven’t cried in years.

Not because I haven’t wanted to.

Because somewhere along the way, I forgot how.

Autumn slips her arms around me.

I don’t move.

Then I turn into her and bury my face against her shoulder.

She holds me.

Doesn’t tell me everything’s going to be okay.

Doesn’t promise the nightmares will stop.

Just holds me while I struggle to breathe around ten years of shit I’ve never figured out how to say.

Eventually, I straighten.

“Wet your sweatshirt.”

She glances down.

“Pretty sure it’s your sweatshirt.”

“Then you owe me a new one.”

“Send me a bill.”

I huff a laugh.

She brushes her thumb across my cheek.

I catch her hand and press a kiss to her palm.

“You’re trouble, Pumpkin.”

“You’re just figuring that out?”

“No. Knew it when you were sixteen.”

“Seventeen. And you were the one who convinced me to sneak into this house.”

“You wanted to.”

“I wanted to kiss you.”

“Could’ve done that somewhere less creepy.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

I look at her.